Akari no Go
by Tennisbunnyrox
Summary: This time, it's Akari's story.
1. What's with Hikaru?

**A/N: Warning; the first few chapters of this fic follows the canon events pretty closely so it might be a little boring. Later chapters will definitely feature more of my twist on Hikaru no Go.  
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Hey! :) Ermm, well, I just kind of wondered what it would be like if Akari actually got good at go. I play a little go myself, albeit not very good but my information on Go is going to come from trusted sources (like Go professional sites, books, etc.) **This fanfic is going to follow the manga's plotline, and of course, my addition of events (Akari's stronger at Go than she was in the manga so that's already a huge difference. xD)**

Thanks for checking my story out!

**Reminders**

_this is someone's thoughts  
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"speaking out loud"

**bolded is important(emphasis)**

**Explanations for any Go Jargon is down below, so feel free to check down if you're unsure about something! **

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><p><strong>Akari no Go<strong>

Chapter 1-_"What's up with Hikaru?"_

"Man, there's nothing good in here." Akari frowned at the crouched Hikaru, rummaging through dusty boxes. They were in the attic of Hikaru's grandfather.

"Hikaru, this place is kind of eerie..." She said, looking around nervously.

"You're such a scaredy-cat. Stop whining and help me look, Akari." Hikaru said. She pouted at him but the boy took no notice as his eye caught on something else. Hikaru took out a _goban _and set it on the ground of the attic.

"Hey, this looks good." He said. Akari leaned over to peer at the board.

"Oh, isn't this what you use to play chess?" She asked.

"No, you play _Go _on it. It's called a go board or _goban._" Hikaru explained. He picked up the board, examining it. "Looks pretty old. Grandpa must have used this a long time ago." Then, he smirked. "I could sell this for a good amount of money."

"Eh, should you do that? What if your grandpa wants to keep it?" Akari disapproved and eyed Hikaru warily.

"It's totally fine." He said, grabbing a white cloth. "My parents cut my allowance because I scored 8% on the last test." Hikaru started to wipe down the goban.

"E-eight percent?! Hikaru..." She said in disbelief.

"Oi! Don't you start carping about it like my parents, miss I-scored-nearly-perfect."

Akari sighed. "You don't even have to study to get over half of the questions right. You just don't try, Hikaru." Hikaru stuck his tongue out at her. She rolled her eyes.

"What's with this stain? It isn't coming off." He furiously rubbed the board with the cloth.

"Stain? What stain? It's clean." Akari squinted her eyes at the board and couldn't see any stains. Hikaru pointed to the area around the corner of the board.

"Right here. These spots look like dried blood." He insisted.

"Where?" She squatted down beside Hikaru to look at the board closer.

"Here!" He emphasized where he was pointing. Akari furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head.

"Hikaru, I don't-"

"That's what I've said!" Hikaru suddenly said. She looked at him quizzically._ I didn't say anything..?  
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"Hikaru...?" He shot up and looked around the room.

"Akari, there's someone here." He said. "Who is it? ...grandpa?"

"H-hey, stop saying weird things! You're not scaring me!" She said, feeling chills going down her body. Akari stood up and wrapped her arms around herself.

Hikaru's expression filled with incredulity and looked as if he was in a trance. Akari slowly reached out to Hikaru, and started to believe it wasn't an act.

Without warning, he fell to the ground, his face clearly in pain. She quickly rushed to his side, shaking him.

"Hikaru?!" She exclaimed, worried. "What happened?! Someone...someone, help Hikaru!"

The sirens of an ambulance could be heard.

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><p>Akari sat at her desk in school, looking out the window. She pondered about the day before, when Hikaru fainted and had to ride to the hospital. <em>Was there really a ghost? <em>She shivered just thinking about it. Akari settled for the explanation that he was overcome with a sickness.

Shifting her gaze to Hikaru, she saw his slumped form and occasional twitches. She frowned, concerned. _Maybe Hikaru hasn't recovered from yesterday yet. _

"Attention class!" The teacher called out. "Since everyone did badly on the last Social Studies test, we will have ANOTHER test today." Groans and complaints went around the classroom.

Akari's hand shot up. "Uhm, Hikaru fainted yesterday and even an ambulance came. He's not feeling too well." The class was suddenly animated with chatter.

"Whoa, Hikaru, you rode in an ambulance?!"

"That's so cool!"

They made several other comments.

"Everyone, settle down!" The teacher reprimanded. She turned towards Hikaru. "I understand you are not feeling well, Shindou-kun but try to complete this test, okay?"

Hikaru had a look of disdain on his face but complied with her.

Soon, the tests were all handed out and Akari immediately started working. The problems were similar to the last test so she did not have much trouble with it.

She looked up at Hikaru. He was scratching the back of his head. She silently giggled and knew that he was struggling with the test. Then, her motherly side came out and made a note to offer to tutor him.

Akari was on the last problem when Hikaru abruptly stood up, sprinting out of the classroom. She shot up out of her seat and ran out of the classroom after him.

"Hikaru! What's wrong?" She shouted after him. Hikaru, hunched over, barfed into the sink. Beside her, she saw the teacher and several students following behind.

"Shindou-kun, are you alright?" The teacher patted Hikaru's back gently. "You should go to the nurse's office."

"I-I'm fine..." He said but then leaned back in the sink to barf more. Everyone stepped back, appalled and disgusted.

"Gross! Get away from me, Hikaru!" One classmate said.

Akari cringed at how much he was throwing up. "Y-you're definitely not fine, Hikaru..."

After that predicament, Hikaru and the rest of his classmates returned to class chattering, and the teacher had to snap them back to attention to finish their test.

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><p>Outside on the steps of Hikaru's house, Akari rang the doorbell. Moments later, the door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman with her dark hair tied in a low ponytail.<p>

"Hello, Mitsuko-obasan!" She greeted Hikaru's mother. "Is Hikaru here?"

"Hello, Akari-chan." She said. "Well, no...recently he's been going over to his grandpa's house to play go."

"Go?" Shock was clear in Akari's voice.

"Yes, and he also signed up for a weekly go class. My, I don't know what's going on with him!" Mitsuko Shindou looked thoughtful.

"He doesn't seem like the type that would be interested in Go..." Akari mumbled.

"Right?" She replied. "I'm sorry he's not here, I'll tell him that you came."

"Thanks, Mitsuko-obasan! Take care!" Akari waved goodbye to her and went down the steps of the house. _Go, huh? Hikaru fainted the other day when he got that go board out. Funny now that he's starting to play go. _

Akari passed by a park on her way home and decided to stop and herself down on a park bench, she observed two children playing in a sand-box. Akari then leaned back, putting both of her hands behind her head, and looked up at the sky.

"Why did he start playing it, anyway? It's just an old man's game..." She muttered.

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><p>"He's been weird lately..."<p>

"Yeah, he actually got a good score on his Social Studies test..."

"He even got hit by a volleyball in P.E. when it's his specialty class!"

That was the chatter going around about Hikaru.

Akari approached Hikaru's desk in time to hear him say, "I've just had a lot of things going on lately."

"Like a Go class?" She said. He turned his head around, surprised.

"Huh? You knew about that?" He said. The other classmates overheard this and started to make a big deal out of it.

"Ehh, Hikaru, you're taking a Go class?"

"Whaat? Go is so lame and boring."

"You're a geezer."

They all made fun of him, causing Akari to frown.

"Hey! Don't judge him based on what he does!" She defended him.

"What are you getting so defensive for? Oh, I know! You like Hikaru!" One classmate said, teasingly.

"Akari likes Hikaru!" Another one chanted. "Akari and Hikaru sitting in a tree-"

Akari's face flushed red and she became annoyed. "N-no I don't! What are you talking about?!" She raised her fist and chased them around the classroom. "Come back here!" They playfully made jokes about her and Hikaru. For some reason, it really affected her. _W-why do I care so much? It's not like I like Hikaru like _that_... _She looked over at Hikaru and caught his gaze. Akari looked at the ground, feeling her face heating up.

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><p>"Hey, Hikaru!" Akari ran up to catch up with him. He turned around, puzzled. It was after school and she decided to invite him to hang out. They haven't done so in a long time.<p>

"What's up, Akari?" He greeted. She matched his pace beside him.

"Are you doing anything this weekend?" She asked.

"Well, I'm planning on going to a children's Go tournament..." Hikaru scratched his chin sheepishly. Akari's eyes widened. _It's Go, again? _

"Eh? Uh, are you participating in it?" She knew that he started Go recently so it would be impressive if he's already tournament-level.

"No, I'm just going to check it out." They paused at the school entrance. "So yeah, see you." Akari wasn't sure why but she felt the need to call out to him just as he turned his back.

"Wait!" She blurted out. Hikaru stopped and looked back at her. Suddenly, Akari was a bit nervous. "C-can I come along with you?" Internally, she was smacking herself because she knew she didn't actually want to go to the Go tournament but to hang out with him. _Man, am I really that desperate? I know nothing about Go! _

"Huh?" Hikaru's face screwed up in confusion. "But you don't even like Go. You confused a goban with a chess board a while back. Why do you want to come?" Akari flinched a little at his harshness.

"I...I just want to see why you've become so interested in it." Akari admitted. It was half the truth anyway.

He looked contemplative for a moment before looking to his side and frowning. Finally, he sighed.

"Alright, I'll take you with me." Hikaru agreed. "But don't start complaining if you don't like it." She brightened at his words and nodded happily. Hikaru looked at her and snorted, thinking that Akari looked just like a puppy that was begging for treats and then got what it wanted.

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><p>That Sunday, Akari had dressed up in a cute outfit while waiting in the on the sidewalk for Hikaru. Her heart was beating fast. <em>W-why do I feel like this could turn into a date? <em>She covered her face with her hands. _What am I thinking?! A date?! That's...argh, hurry up, Hikaru! _She looked up and noticed Hikaru waving to her. Akari nervously waved back. They walked together towards the train station, chatting away.

Along the way to the tournament, Akari noticed that Hikaru seemed to make sudden movements and was mumbling to himself. She smiled nervously. _Could it be that he's lost his sanity ever since he fainted?_

Hikaru handed her the flyer to look at. It advertised a children's Go tournament with a picture of a hand holding a stone and a bunch of stores spread around the paper. Near the bottom, it stated the date, time, and place of the tournament. Akari looked at the Go stones on the flyer and then decided that this would be the time to learn something about Go.

"Hikaru, are these stones-?" She started. Hikaru immediately caught on and sighed.

"Those are Go stones. Black always goes first in a game." He said. Akari made an 'oh' expression and nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Hikaru having some sort of conflict with something beside him. She looked over at him and saw nothing to his side.

"Hikaru?" She asked. He glanced at her, blushing slightly, and then straightened himself.

"S-since you're new to Go, I thought I would teach you a thing or two." He said. "Just so you don't embarrass me at the tournament."

Akari clapped her hands together in delight. "Wow, Hikaru, you do actually have a heart! But didn't you just start Go a little while ago?"

"Yeah but I'm better than you. Wait, what was that about me not having a heart?" Hikaru retorted.

"Geez, don't take it so personally." She giggled. He smirked at her.

Clearing his throat, Hikaru said, "Basically the goal in Go is to claim as much territory as you can by surrounding an area with stones. The one with the most territory on the board wins. There are other things you can do to meet this, such as capturing pieces and attacking the opponent's territory." He paused for a minute and looked above him. Akari tilted her head in confusion and looked at the spot above him. There was nothing there. "You count territory with _moku_. Ermm...and then...there are these things called handicaps." The train arrived at their stop, and Hikaru and Akari got off.

"_Things_?" She laughed at his diction. Hikaru pouted and she apologized. "Sorry, sorry, what are handicaps?"

"...uhm, it's so that if you face a stronger or weaker player, it will still be an even match. There's also a fixed system that Sa-I mean, I recently found out. It's called _komi. _White gets this komi, which is erm...6...6.5 moku because Black has the advantage of going first." He explained.

"Wow, I didn't know that." Akari was starting to get interested. "That means...wouldn't a beginner give an experienced player a tough time with a handicap?"

Hikaru laughed. "No way! An experienced player could totally catch up! Besides, a beginner would make lots of blunders."

Akari turned her attention away from Hikaru to look at a building nearby. She pointed at it. "Hey, I think that's it! 'Japanese Go Insitute', right?" Hikaru looked at the flyer for confirmation and nodded. They went inside and asked directions to the tournament room. Hikaru and Akari then entered a spacious room with several tables filled with kids and parents standing at the side.

"Wow." Hikaru whispered. Akari's mouth gaped at the amount of children, some even younger than her, that were intensely focused on the game in front of them. The room was full with sounds of stones clicking the boards and clocks being pressed. _These kids look around the same age as me...and they're concentrating so hard on Go. That's...amazing. _Akari thought in awe. _There's a tense atmosphere in here...I don't get it, it's just a friendly tournament, right? _

She glanced over at Hikaru, who was as astounded as she was. He then looked over to the group of people standing at the sides. They looked seemed like relatives and friends of the children that were playing. Hikaru looked around and started walking off in a random direction. Akari looked startled and followed him.

"H-hey, isn't this incredible?" She whispered to him. He nodded, still glancing everywhere.

"Who are you looking for?" She asked.

Hikaru leaned in, and replied, "I played a guy my age at a salon before. I'm trying to see if he's here."

Akari nodded in understanding. "Who's the guy? Does he go to our school?" Their whisper conversation received a disapproving look from a man in suit. Akari and Hikaru bowed in apology. She noticed a band around his arm. _He must be a proctor or something..._

"Anyway, the guy's name is Touya Akira. His uniform looked like it belonged to some rich academy...uh, Kaim, was it?" Hikaru replied in a hushed whisper.

"...you mean. Kaio? I'd suspect that they would have a lot of go players." Akari tried to think back to where she heard something about Kaio. Something about their Go Club...?

Hikaru stopped the conversation there as he suddenly looked at a game in front of him. A boy placed his stone at 1-3.

"Oh, so close! You should have gone one above that!" He blurted out-loud. Hikaru realized what he said and clamped his mouth shut with his hand.

Akari widened her eyes at him. "Hikaru..." She said through gritted teeth.

Both of the boys playing the game looked at the board and processed what Hikaru said. "Oh..." They said.

The same man who saw them having their whisper conversation came and put his hand on Hikaru's shoulder. "Hey! What are you doing? This is a serious event; you can't interfere with a match!" People around them started to stare at them and whisper. The players of the game right next to them looked over, annoyed.

A blonde-haired man with glasses walked up to them and said, "Mori-san, calm down." He was wearing a suit also and had a ribbon on his chest. _He must be one of the sponsors, I suppose...?_ Akari quietly observed.

"Ogata-san, I'm taking these two out." Mori said, angrily.

Akari pointed at herself and said, "Eh? Me too?" The furious proctor dragged both of them out of the room while Akari was shedding comical tears. She knew that she wouldn't stay there without Hikari but she didn't like being blamed for something she didn't do.

They came into an office with a very important-looking man and another proctor were standing in.

Akari put her hand on Hikaru's head and forced him to bow with her. "We are very sorry for disturbing this important event!"

The important man spoke. "It's not that simple." He frowned. "A lot of children take this tournament very seriously."

Hikaru laughed nervously.

"This is not a laughing matter!" Mori said. Then he sighed. "Okay, you two can go now. Right, Kakimoto-sensei?" The man named Kakimoto-sensei nodded.

Akari let Hikaru leave first and then paused at the doorway. "I'm very sorry for his actions. Goodbye!" She said.

As soon as they were a good distance away from the room, Akari punched him in the shoulder. Hikaru gave a yelp and rubbed his shoulder.

"Ow, what was that for?" He whined.

"What was that for? You got us kicked out!" Akari said.

"Why do you care so much? You didn't really care about coming here, did you?" He said. Akari couldn't contradict that, knowing that he was right.

"But I did ask you to take me here." She sighed. "We could just go get-" Akari noticed a man walking around the corner and Hikaru was about to collide into him.

"Hikaru watch ou-" But the warning was too late. Hikaru bumped into the man's chest and fell on his bottom.

"Ow..." He said. Akari looked up at the man that he bumped into. He was a tall man wearing a traditional kimono and had a menacing demeanor. Akari guessed that his age was around late 40s-50._ I don't know why but...I can feel_ _this guy is definitely someone not to be trifled with. _Akari didn't know what people meant when they could "feel" the aura of some people until now. The man's aura enveloped her and made her gulp nervously.

"Be more careful." He said and walked off. Akari and Hikaru stared at his back.

"Whew...I thought I was going to get yelled out, right, Sai?" Hikaru looked up to an empty space above him. Akari glanced at him.

"Sai?" She questioned.

Hikaru sputtered and quickly tried to correct himself. "Uh, Sai? Did I say Sai? I-I meant Akari!" She narrowed her eyes at him. _Yeah because 'Sai' and 'Akari' are totally similar. _Akari decided to not push the matter further but took note of his slip. She held out her hand to help him up.

"But that man...seemed powerful, didn't he?" She mused.

"Yeah, pretty scary." Hikaru agreed. They walked in silence until Akari spoke up.

"Wanna go get something to eat?"

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><p><strong>AEN:  
><strong>Annnndddd that was the end of the first chapter. As you can tell, I don't proof-read my chapters because I just don't have time to do so. So it's full of errors and I apologize for that. xD

Speaking of which, I would appreciate it if you checked my other story too, which is **Life As Yui Komori**. If you have checked out Diabolik Lovers or at least know of it, then please give a read and tell me how it is. ^^

**Leave a review with any thoughts or questions! :)**


	2. Intense Match

**A/N: Different POVs! A lot of face-palming. (I looked over this a few times and fixed some errors. Please let me know if you spot any grammatical errors/spelling mistakes!)  
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><p><strong>Akari no Go <strong>

Chapter 2-_"Intense Match"_

Sitting alone in his father's salon, Akira replayed his match between Hikaru again. He lost track of how many times he analyzed the boy's moves.

"Yes, he's here but...he keeps replaying _that _one game in the corner over there." He heard Ichikawa say.

"_That _one game?...Oh, the one he lost to a kid his age?" Akira identified the voice as Hirose, a middle-aged man that he would occasionally teach go. He flinched a little at his words.

_That's right...it's the first time I've lost a game to someone my age. By 2 moku! It seemed like a close match but..._Akira played a few more hands. He stared at them in disbelief. _It's like that boy was playing _Shidougo_ with me. _Biting on his fingernail, Akira began to feel a bit nervous. There was another feeling inside of him that he couldn't quite describe...was it...excitement? He couldn't believe that was truly Hikaru's ability. _Shindou Hikaru...I need to confirm it for myself. _Determination burned quietly in his eyes. _If you are really a monster or not! _

"Akira-kun." Ishikawa's footsteps sounded behind him. He didn't look up at her. "Hirose-san would like to play Shidougo with you."

"W-well if Akira-sensei isn't busy..." Hirose said, nervously.

Akira already made up his mind. "Sorry but..." He trailed off.

"You're waiting for that boy, aren't you? I...guess you can't do much since you only know his name." Ishikawa said. Akira knew she was right and didn't say anything. It frustrated him that waiting was the only thing he can do. _How long can I wait? How long until this energy I have within me burns out? _

Ishikawa perked up, as if she remembered something. "Oh yes! I remember I gave the boy a flyer for the Children's Go Tournament!" She said. "I...don't know if he went but he may have gone there."

"The tournament today?" Akira asked. Ishikawa nodded in confirmation. He suddenly burst out of his chair and ran towards the exit. "Ishikawa-san! If he happens to come here, don't let him leave, please!"

Ishikawa and Hirose stood there, shocked, as they watched the door close. "Akira-kun's...changed."

Hirose agreed. "Well, this is the first time he has a _real_ rival."

* * *

><p>"...and there was that one really funny guy! Err, what was his name? Did you watch last night's variety show?" Hikaru said, in between bites of his burger. The two of them were at WcDonalds eating an early lunch. Akari was sipping on her cherry soda, sighing at Hikaru's blabbering.<p>

"Why would I watch a stupid show like that?" She sighed.

"It's nwaff stoopid!(It's not stupid!)" He protested, still in the midst of chewing. Pieces of lettuce and bread from his mouth came flying at Akari. She cringed and whined in disgust.

"Ewww Hikaru! Don't talk while you're eating!" She yanked out a napkin from the dispenser and furiously scrubbed at her hands, where the food landed. "You know what, I'm going to the bathroom to wash my hands." Akari stood up, walking to the restrooms. Hikaru stuck his tongue out at her back.

"She's overreacting." He mumbled, chomping on his burger again. Sai came over to sit beside him after admiring and exploring the fast food restaurant.

"Hikaru, hikaru! They have a strange contraption by that huge table over there!" He pointed at the island that was directly across from the ordering counter. It contained the soda refill machine, napkins, utensils, and various other items.

Hikaru sighed, glancing at where Sai was pointing. "That's just where you refill your soda. Relax, Sai."

"But...but...strange fizzing came out when people pushed the button! That's dangerous!" Sai flailed his arms around in shock.

"That's what I've been saying...it's _soda._" Hikaru face-palmed.

Finally, Sai settled down. "It's amazing...how far humans have developed." He watched all the different people interact with one another in the restaurant. "The atmosphere has changed...it's more friendlier. More comforting." He gave a small smile as a young girl ran up to her parents with an ice cream cone and a big grin on her face. "Speaking of which...THE GO TOURNAMENT!" Sai shouted in Hikaru's ears.

"Alright, I get it already!" He shouted right back at him, making a few people frown in his direction. Hikaru would blush and return to what he was doing quietly but he just couldn't take it anymore. Sai was constantly complaining about it, even when the topic had been changed. "Besides, you were the one who said it in my head!"

"But you actually said it out-loud!" Sai retorted.

"Oh yeah?! You're going there, huh?" Hikaru accused. "You wanna come at me?! No more go for you!" By this point, witnesses of Hikaru arguing with himself decided to just ignore the poor boy.

At last, their bickering settled down, with Hikaru grabbing his soda and facing the other direction, away from Sai. He took a sip of his drink angrily and looked out the window, catching the sight of a familiar face peering at him. He choked on his soda and developed into a coughing fit.

"Hikaru, that's the young boy!" Sai said. _Yeah, I know...Touya...what's he doing here? _Hikaru pulled himself together.

Akira walked through the front door and strode up to him. Hikaru looked up at him, smiling sheepishly. "Yo, Touya...what's up?"

"Uhm..." It was silly of Akira to become speechless when he knew exactly what he wanted, just not how to phrase it.

"You weren't in the tournament?" He asked.

"No. What about you?" Akira said.

"Uh, I was just checking it out." A silence drifted between them so Hikaru decided to keep talking. "But man, that was the first time I've been to something like that...it was surprising seeing kids younger than me so serious about go." Akira's eyes widened. "It was really awesome. I was impressed."

"You've...never been serious before?" He asked, incredulous.

Hikaru lifted his eyebrow in question. "Serious?"

Akira hesitated before asking, "Can I see your hand?" Hikaru frowned but gave him his hand anyway. _There's no sign of his fingernails wearing down. It doesn't look like he handles go stones often. _His mind drifted back to Ishikawa making a comment about how Hikaru had never played go before. Akira frowned, not sure what to make of this.

"A-are you going to become a pro?" He asked.

"P-pro?" Hikaru then burst out laughing. "Me? A pro? Are you serious? Ha, I've never even thought of that before. Good one, Touya."

Akira narrowed his eyes. "I plan on becoming a pro." The amused boy stopped laughing and turned towards him, surprised.

"Oh...do go pros make a lot of money? Like prize money for winning a tournament or something?" Hikaru asked.

"The prize money for winning the Meijin tournament is 28 million yen($250,300)." Akira stated, coldly. Hikaru's mouth dropped in an 'O', suddenly interested.

"The Kisei tournament is 33 million($322,542)." He continued.

Hikaru waved his hands in front of him, signaling Akira to pause. "Whoa, whoa, wait. How many tournaments are there? How much money do you get if you win all of those?"

"There are 8 titles, and the total amount of money is about 120 million yen($1,172,880)." Suddenly, Hikaru's eyes turned into dollar signs at the sound of 120 million yen. He cackled evilly. _Sai, you can win all of those tournaments, right? _Sai frowned and objected his thoughts.

"You would only play go for money?! You're terrible, Hikaru!" He exclaimed.

"Well...I might just become a pro..." Hikaru was still infatuated with the thought of earning the big bucks. "And then grab a few titles, ya know?"

Akari chose that certain timing to exit the bathroom. She was about to call out to Hikaru when she noticed he was talking to a dark-haired boy beside him. _I wonder who that guy is..._Going over to them to introduce herself, Akari halted when she noticed the scary look on the boy's face.

"Might just become a pro? Grab a few titles?" Akira repeated in disbelif, anger boiling inside of him. "...those words are an insult to all the current pros."

Hikaru stepped back, shocked. _Insult? Sai, did I say something wrong? _

Sai face-palmed. "Hikaru, you idiot..."

"There's no way...there's no way a person like you could become a pro! A real go player wouldn't say something like that so casually!" Akira started his rant. "Saying something like that half-heartedly...do you even realize how much work is put in to become a pro?! Pain, disappointment, failure...there are players that work _so _hard to overcome these obstacles and yet STILL are unable to achieve a certain level. I have seen these kinds players myself." He gritted his teeth. "And yet you..." Akira was started to calm down and get a grip on himself. "I too, have worked hard to prepare myself. Everyday, since I was small, it didn't matter what the circumstances were, I played go for hours." He looked up at Hikaru, now noticing that the boy did not have the same fire of determination in his eyes. Akira wanted to laugh at himself for getting worked up over him.

Sai then noticed Akari standing nearby and greeted her. "Oh, Akari-chan! Don't mind them, Hikaru just said something foolish." Of course, she didn't respond, and Sai gave her a small smile.

_Wow..._Akari was stunned by Akira's rant. She had no idea that it was that difficult to become a go pro. _Why are they talking about becoming a pro anyway? Don't tell me, Hikaru..._

Her thoughts were interrupted by Akira. "Let's play a game right now." He said.

Hikaru was uneasy. _Right now...? But I just went to that go tournament. Hmm..._

"HIKARU! You got us kicked out of the tournament!" Sai yelled at him. "Let's play!"

Akira took his silence as him being afraid. "I will become a pro." He stated. "If you think you can easily become a pro...then you can't possibly lose to me here. Don't run away, Shindou Hikaru!" He held out his hand towards Hikaru, who reluctantly accepted.

Before Akira could drag away him, Akari thought it was time to step in because none of them noticed her. "H-hey! Hikaru, you can' t just leave me here!" She pouted.

Hikaru looked at Akari, pulling away from Akira. "A-Akari! Forgot that you were still here!"

She put her hands on her hips. "What do you mean you 'forgot'?"

Akira looked at her, surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm going to borrow Shindou for a while. I'm Touya Akira. Your name is?" He said politely, and held out his hand.

Akari was taken aback by the boy's politeness after seeing his furious rant from before. "You can call me Akari." She replied, shaking his hand. Akari suddenly felt shy. "Oh, uhm, can I go with you guys? Hikaru," she glared sharply at the boy, "was supposed to hang out with me today but got us kicked out of the go tournament so it kind of sucks to go back home now." Akira glanced at Hikaru was clearly was against the idea.

"Akari you go ho-mmph!" Sai covered Hikaru's mouth with his sleeve and scolded him.

"You can't leave a lady alone! Allow her to accompany us; it won't be bad for her to see a match." He said.

Hikaru sighed. "Fine...you can come along with us."

"Hey, hey, what's with that tone of reluctance?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing~" Hikaru sang, locking his hands behind his head. He walked out first, and then stopped to look at the two behind him. "You coming, Touya?"

Akira and Akari looked at each other. She then pointed to herself. "Me? What about me? You're not addressing me?"

"I don't need to address you."

"What does that mean?!"

The two arguing childhood friends walked beside each other, shooting insults back and forth. Although Akira's resolve to defeat Hikaru hadn't died, he had to crack a small smile at them. He felt a bit envious at their closeness.

_I have go. That's enough...right? _

* * *

><p>Akari followed Hikaru and Akira into a go salon by the train station. There was a woman that greeted them as they walked in.<p>

"Welcome...Akira-kun!?" The woman exclaimed, seeing Hikaru behind him.

"We'll play in the back." He said. They got the attention of all the go players in the room. Several of them whispered and recognized Hikaru as the 'kid who beat Akira'. Hikaru and Akari were equally shocked by the attention they were getting.

"W-whoa, hold on!" Hikaru said. _What the heck? All of these guys are crowded around our table! _

"Please sit down." Akira said, already seated at the board and ready to go. Akari went to stand behind Hikaru since most of the players had crowded behind Akira.

"Hikaru, are you sure you'll be fine? I mean, this crowd..." She whispered in his ear. Hikaru glanced up at her, wary.

"I'll be fine, totally fine! Probably..." Akari shot him a worried look. "Anyway, this guy isn't even nervous. He's not normal, I tell ya."

"What's the point of telling me that?" She sighed, patting his shoulder. "Good luck, Hikaru." Akari stood back, spectating. She put her finger on her chin, thinking. _Touya-san doesn't seem like your average kid, that's for sure. He seems pretty confident in his go skills. How is Hikaru going to beat him? _

"Let's play an even match. I'll _nigiri_." Akira said.

"Nigiri?" Hikaru was confused. Sai sighed.

"Basically, you do this to determine who's black and who's white." Akira explained, remembering that Hikaru was a 'beginner'. He still couldn't quite believe it. "I grab a random amount of stones in my hand and you have to guess if it's an even or odd number by placing one or two stones on the board."

"If I get it right, am I black?" Hikaru asked.

"Yes." Hikaru placed two stones on the board and Akira started counting his stones. "...it's 12. Even."

"Heck yeah! I got it right!" He whooped. Akari face-palmed at him.

"The komi is standard."

"...6.5 moku, right?" Akira nodded. Hikaru glanced up at Sai. _You better not forget about it this time. _

"There was never such a rule back in Shuusaku's time." He defended. _Still...you didn't think to suspect that black had an advantage. _

The anticipated match was finally starting. Sai gave orders for Hikaru for the first move. "Upper right _kosumi_.*" He said. Hikaru, gripping the stone like a beginner, placed the stone at 17-3.

Three minutes later, Akira placed his first move. There was a quiet gasp, and Akari looked up at the people behind him. They looked surprised that Akira took so long for the first move. _So it's not normal to spend that much time thinking for a move...I was about to fall asleep in those three minutes! _She glanced at Hikaru's next move which was a lower right kosumi. Akari had to hold back her laughter when she saw his grip on the stone. _Yup, yup, a total beginner. Touya-san holds the stone much more elegantly. _She glanced at Akira and was stunned by his fierce glare. Looking over to Hikaru, she noticed that he was sweating nervously under his scrutiny. _Uwahh, he's really mad at Hikaru. I guess that dummy said something stupid again. _

Only for about a few more moves did Akira bend his head down and resign. He clutched the stones on the board and messed the game up. Akari gaped and Hikaru could only sit there in shock. _It's over already?! But...this game only went half as far as the first time we played! _

"I won." That was all Sai said. _Dude...Sai, you beat him that bad? _Silence enveloped the room for a while. The go players behind Akira looked at one another in astonishment. _Hikaru won...right? I couldn't tell what was going on at all but it seems that he beat him pretty badly... _Akari thought. _But Hikaru's a beginner...how is that..._

Hikaru stood up. "Touya, you're incredible. The intensity in each of your moves...I could feel it! The kids at the tournament too...and..." He frowned, trailing off. Akira wasn't listening to him. "I'm going now...bye, Touya." He turned to Akari. "Let's go, Akari."

Akari took one last glance at Akira, feeling pity for him. _Of course he would be devastated...he looked so determined to beat Hikaru...not to mention that Hikaru said something insulting to him. That must hurt a lot. _She announced her leave, quickly bowing, before running after Hikaru.

Akira sat there, thinking back to his conversation with his father as a child.

_'Father ..do I have talent for go?' He asked._

_His father chuckled. 'I do not know if you have talent but...there are two things that greater aspects.' He patted Akira's head. 'One, is the ability to work harder than anyone else. Two, is the undying love for go.' _

Akira has always kept those two aspects in mind and continued to move forward but now, he hit an obstacle. He clenched his fists. _Father...I've hit a big, invisible wall. _

* * *

><p>The next school day, Akari noticed that Hikaru went back to being oddly distracted.<p>

"Are you thinking about your match with Touya-san?" She asked.

"Huh? Uh..." He looked guilty. "Yeah..."

"...you don't have to look so guilty about it. You beat him fair and square, right? But the least you could do was apologize for riling him up." She said.

"Fair and square..." Hikaru mumbled. "Wait, what was that about apologizing?"

"I saw Akira yelling at you at WcDonald's. Something about being a go pro?"

"You heard that? Oh, well..." He scratched his chin. "You know what, I think I'm going to drop by the go salon again."

"Well, unfortunately this time I can't go with you. Remember to apologize!" Akari started to head the other way from the train station.

"Would said I wanted you to go with me?" He scoffed and walked away. "Later."

"Bye! I'll throw a pot at your head the next time I see you!" Hikaru whipped his head around.

"What the heck did you say?!"

"Nothing~" Akari said in a sing-song voice, skipping away.

Hikaru shook his head. "And she says I've changed...Akari's become a lot scarier and rebellious."

Sai nodded in agreement, his face hidden behind his fan. "Girls in this era are more blunt and ostentatious. But that's not a bad thing! Women weren't really equals in my era and also in Torajirou's."

"Torajirou? " Hikaru was unfamiliar with that name.

"Torajirou is Shuusaku's birth name. He later changed his name to what people know him by now."

"Oh...I see. Well, let's go see Touya._"_

* * *

><p><strong><span>AEN:  
><strong>*Kosumi: Means_ diagonal move_. In this case, Sai used this as an opening move but it can also be used for capturing, attacking, etc. other stones. Hikaru placed the stone diagonal to the third _hoshi_, or star point. Sai's second move was similar, just lower down on the board.

I hope this chapter wasn't too boring as it did stick pretty closely to the original story. Nothing new happened in this chapter, except for the fact that Akari witnesses all of this. I look forward to putting in my own scenes in the next chapter! ^w^

**Any comments or questions? Leave a review or send me a PM.**


	3. The Festival

**A/N: I have no idea if Kumoko was Akari's friend in elementary school in canon but in this story I'm making it that way. xD  
><strong>

**Kumoko Tsuda, btw, if you don't remember, was Akari's friend in Haze Middle. She has short, light brown hair, and appears timid. Akari dragged her to the go club. **

**I know Akari's dog in the manga wasn't a Labrador Retriever but...it kind of looked like one...I'm sorry, I'm not a dog expert so I'm just going to make it one! ehe :9 **

* * *

><p><strong>Akari no Go <strong>

_Chapter 3-"The Festival"_

Akari was absorbed in reading a magazine in a bookstore when her friend, Kumoko, who was nearby, called out to her.

"Hey, Akari!" She looked up and saw the girl waving her hand at her and holding a book in her other hand. "Did you know they have the latest volume of _Today's Love_?" Akari widened her eyes and squealed in delight.

"Really?! Kumoko-chan, you do not know how _much _I love that manga!" She dashed over to her friend and took the manga from her hand. The art on the cover depicted a young man with blonde hair and a starry-eyed girl in his arms. Akari was a sucker for cheesy, romantic shoujo manga.

"Did you want to get anything else?" She looked at the two thin novels Kumoko was carrying. Kumoko shook her head. "Alright then. Let's go checkout because this manga is all I need." Akari held the volume up, worshiping it. Her friend giggled.

When the two girls put their purchases on the counter, Akari's eye caught on something familiar. Sitting on the rack beside the checkout register was a book with a go game in progress on it. The title read, The Basics of Go. She didn't what prompted her to grab it and put it down with their purchases; perhaps it was because she felt frustrated not knowing what was going on in Hikaru and Akira's game she watched the other day. _It wouldn't hurt to learn a bit about it...right? _

Kumoko saw her friend's actions, surprised when she saw the book. Then, she looked up at her strangely. "Akari-chan...?"

Walking out of the store after purchasing their books, Kumoko decided to ask Akari about the book.

"Are you interested in go, Akari-chan?" Akari blinked at her and looked a little flustered.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I suppose so. It's not really like me, I know, but I thought I would at least give it a shot." She said.

"Hmm...I don't have a reliable source but I heard Hikaru-kun plays go..." Kumoko said.

"Yeah, it's true. It was kind of shocking when I found out, to tell you the truth." Akari said, looking up at the sky as they walked. "I mean, it's Hikaru we're talking about! That numbskull scored 8% on the Social Studies test. _Eight_ percent!" She sighed. "How can he play an intellectual game like go?"

Kumoko shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe he's just suited for that. I know there are some famous chess players who are really good at the game but didn't get very good grades in school."

"Still..." Suddenly, Kumoko felt very mischievous. She nudged Akari with her elbow, a smirk on her face.

"Hey, Akari-chan, don't tell me...you're interested in go because of Hikaru? Eh? How about it?" She teased. Akari raised her eyebrows and felt words get stuck in her throat.

"T-that's not...well of course he started before me but..." She sputtered, her face turning a darker shade of red every time she tried to deny the accusation. Eventually, she just sighed and admitted it. "Yeah, Hikaru was the one who introduced me to go...indirectly. I got intrigued by the game and thought, well, if he can do it, why can't I? And stuff..."

Kumoko smiled. "You can do it! With your smarts, you'll pick it up quickly." Akari smiled meekly at her compliment.

"I hope so. Because now, go makes no sense to me."

* * *

><p>To other people walking past Hikaru in the park, it looked like the boy was talking to himself and playing with stones. In Hikaru's perspective, he was talking to Sai as the ghost urged him to practice placing down the stones in the park as if they were go stones. A little while before, Sai had, through Hikaru, played a short opening game with Touya Kouyo, the current holder of the Meijin title. Unexpectedly, Hikaru had made a move of his own, holding the stone between his fingers the correct way. The poor boy couldn't believe that he had just placed a stone on the board correctly and dismissed it as being possessed, dashing out of the room in a horrified state. Sai, however, assured Hikaru that it was his own ability that allowed him to make that kind of move. He was slightly intrigued at the move he made; it wasn't a bad move but it wasn't a good move either. Only if the game played out would Sai be able to tell.<p>

Akari was taking her Labrador Retriever, Tsuki, out for a walk, hoping that she bumped into Hikaru in the neighborhood and give him a ticket to the Haze Jr. High festival. She went to his house first, and when he wasn't there, she sighed, wondering what she expected. _He's probably still playing with Touya-san...is he starting to become a go freak? _

In the corner of her eyes, she spotted him standing in a park talking to himself. _There he goes again, why is he talking to himself more often now? It's kind of creepy..._Akari comically sweat-dropped.

"Hikaru!" She called out.

Hikaru turned around at the sound of his name and greeted Akari. "Yo, Akari."

"Were you playing Touya-san until this late?" She approached him, tugging on Tsuki's leash.

He scratched his head. "Uhm, well, I did play a 'Touya'." Akari cocked her head in confusion.

"You remember the man I bumped into when we were leaving the go tournament? Well, apparently he's Touya Meijin; Touya's dad! Argh, too many Touyas!" Hikaru complained but he's eyes had a faint glimmer. Akari giggled. "But Touya Meijin was super awesome! Like, every move was like BAM and I swear it shook the earth!"

"So how did the match go?" She asked, entertained by Hikaru describing Touya Meijin's play.

He smiled sheepishly. "Err, well...I kind of...ran out in the middle of the game." Akari's eyes widened.

"What? Why did you do that?"

"Things here and there...and..." Hikaru trailed off, not knowing how to explain what happened. He glared up at Sai, finishing his sentence in his thoughts. _...Sai took over my body and played a move. _

"I didn't do it, Hikaru!" Sai protested, playfully hitting him on the shoulders.

Akari raised an eyebrow but didn't push the subject further. "Touya Meijin...is that his name? Touya-san's father...speaking of Touya-san, did you get to speak to him?"

"No...I think it's..." Hikaru glanced at Sai. "His real name is Touya Kouyo, 'Meijin' is just a title he earned as a go pro. As for Touya...no. I went to the salon looking for him but instead I bumped into his dad!"

"I see...oh wait! I almost forgot!" Akari dug into her pockets to show 2 thin pieces of paper. "Here. Take one." Hikaru warily took one.

"What's this?" He read the writing on the ticket; 'Haze Junior High School Festival! Food ticket for one person.'

"It's a free food ticket for Haze Jr's festival. My sister gave me some tickets and I thought I would give you one." She explained.

Hikaru frowned, starting to hand the ticket back to Akari. "Nah...no thanks..."

"What? B-but Hikaru, you never reject free food!" Akari's emotions were full of shock and a little dismay at the thought of him not going.

He glared at her, slightly offended. "You think you can convince me to go just because you're offering me free food? Tsk, tsk, it's not that easy, Akari."

"But last time-"

"Ahhh, I'm so hungry. I'll think I'll eat some ramen when I get home." Hikaru locked his hands behind his head and started to walk off.

Akari stormed up to him, took his hand, and shoved the ticket into it. "Just for when if you do come, you won't starve there. Sunday at 2p.m. Got it?" She turned her head away and marched off in the opposite direction.

"Akari, your house is the same way as mine." Hikaru said, holding back his laughter. She blushed and turned around, speeding past him with an annoyed look on her face.

He looked at the free food ticket in his hand and shook his head.

"Hikaru, maybe you should go. She went out of her way to invite you." Sai said, frowning at him blunting rejecting Akari.

"No way, people would tease me if they saw me with a girl..."

Sai smiled gently. "Maybe Akari-chan likes you." Hikaru immediately felt a shiver down his spine.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU SAYING?!" He shouted, bewildered. "Don't say that, I'll kill you!"

"I don't think children should make that threat but I'm already dead..." Sai rolled his eyes.

"Did you just call me a child?! I'm not a child!"

"You are a child, Hikaru."

"No I'm not!"

* * *

><p>That Sunday, Akari decided that Hikaru wasn't going to come so she just went and had fun with Kumoko and her other friend, Sayaka. They were at a takoyaki stand when Akari noticed another particular stand. A black-haired boy with glasses was sitting down at the table, holding a book in one hand and placing stones on a goban with his other hand. His eyes switched back and forth between the book and the board. A table beside him held a variety of things and a white cloth draped from it, reading, "Igo". A small line of elderly people were gathered around the stand. <em>Ehh...so they even have a go club. But it seems like that boy is the only one there. <em>

"Sorry Kumoko-chan, Sayaka-chan, can you guys go on without me? I want to check something out..." Akari said, her eyes drifting off towards the go stand. Kumoko saw exactly what she was looking at and smiled.

"We understand. Come on, let's go, Sayaka-chan." She said, dragging Sayaka along with her. "Have fun, Akari-chan."

Akari made her way to the go stand, peering at the board. Only one part of the board had stones set up and the elderly man sitting at the table was placing stones around it.

"Ah, I know this! It's a _tsume-go _problem, isn't it?" She blurted. Akari started to read her go book recently and learned a lot of terminology, as well as being able to solve a few tsume-go problems*.

The boy looked up at her in delighted surprise. "Yes, it is." He looked down again at the elderly man's answer. "But what if white goes here?"

The man scratched his head. "Oh yeah...this is quite difficult." He chuckled, getting out of the seat. The boy with the glasses then looked up at Akari.

"Would you like to try?" He smiled at her. Akari gave him a nervous smile.

"Uhh, I'm not very good though...but I'll try." She hesitantly sat in the empty seat and took a look at the problem on the board. Akari could feel the older people crowding around her. _I suddenly feel very nervous...  
><em>

_Okay, calm down, Akari. I can do this...I'm playing as black...it looks like a basic problem. Let's see..._She placed her first move at 18-2._  
><em>

"Okay. What if white takes the stone?" The boy asked, taking the black stone at 17-2. Akari paused, analyzing the cluster of stones for a few moments. She blinked and then it hit her.

"Ah! I go here!" She placed her stone at 19-4, successfully avoiding white's threat of taking a bigger cluster of stones and at the same time, attacking the white.

"Very good. And if white fills the eye*?" He placed his stone at 17-3, where he had captured her stone before.

"I go here!" Akari was getting more comfortable and no longer felt tense or nervous about getting it wrong. She placed her stone at 17-1. White then placed it at 16-1 but it could not escape it's fate of being captured. The last move, 15-1 took all of white's stones.

"Good job." He gave her a pack of tissues. "It's your prize for solving this tsume-go problem." The elderly folk around her applauded for her.

"Nice going, young lady!" One man said. She blushed in embarrassment at the attention she was getting. She turned back to the boy.

"Uhm...could I try another problem?"

* * *

><p>Hikaru was walking around stuffing himself with food when he recognized the back of Akari's head.<p>

"Hey! That's Akari! She told me to come but she didn't even wait for me. Well, not like I care, I got free food." He said, slurping on his yakisoba noodles.

Sai looked closer at the stand she was at. "Hikaru! Look there's a go stand! Akari-chan's at it!" He pointed at it with his fan, jumping around excitedly.

That made Hikaru choke on his noodles. "Eh...ACK..." He coughed. "Wait...Akari...i-is at a go stand?" He walked up behind her just in time to see her solve a problem.

"Here's a can of soda as a prize." Akari thanked him and accepted it. "What grade are you in, Fujisaki-san?"

"Eh? I'm in 6th grade right now." She replied.

"You should come to Haze Jr. and join the go club next year. I think you would be very good." He said, smiling at her.

Akari blushed slightly. "R-really? Now, if Hikaru heard that..."

"Hear what?" She whipped her head around to see him standing behind her. Akari let out a gasp of surprise.

"Hikaru! You actually came!" She exclaimed.

"Well yeah, due to _someone_ pestering..." Hikaru shifted his eyes to Sai, too preoccupied with the go stand to hear him. Akari just blinked at him.

"Akari, you played go?" He stared at the prizes in her hand. She shook her head.

"Not really. I was just reading a go book and picked up a few things."

"Why were you reading-" Akari got up and gestured for him to sit.

"You should try a problem, Hikaru. They're fun!" She pushed him into her seat and looked at the boy with glasses. "Ah, this here is Tsutsui-san, he's a second-year at Haze Jr. and in the go club. Tsutsui-san, this is Shindou Hikaru, who recently started go."

"Nice to meet you, Shindou-kun." Tsutsui said.

"Yo." Hikaru nodded. Akari sighed.

"Hikaru, Hikaru, look!" Sai nudged him and then pointed to a book sitting on the table. The book read, Touya Meijin's Go Tutorial.

"Oh yeah, I noticed that and I wondered about it. Touya Meijin is famous, Hikaru?" Akari asked, noticing his line of eyesight.

"One of the most famous go players out there. He holds multiple titles but is commonly known his Meijin title. He's also considered one of the world's top players." Tsutsui explained.

"Ehh..." Akari said, in awe. "Hikaru didn't you pla-"

"AHHHH! Right, can you give me a problem for that book?" He asked, cutting her off. She pouted.

"T-that's the hardest problem." Tsutsui adjusted his glasses and flipped through his go book. He started to place the stones in formation on the board. "You'd have to be at Touya Akira's level to solve this one."

Hikaru and Akari were startled at the mention of his name. "Touya Akira?! I know him, is he that incredible?" Hikaru said.

"Incredible? Very. I heard he's going to take the upcoming pro exam and that he teaches go to adults." Tsutsui replied.

"His face while he's playing is so serious it's almost scary..." Hikaru commented, thinking back to Sai's and Akira's match.

"Go ahead and try this problem. First hand is key." Tsutsui said, nonchalantly.

As Hikaru was about to analyze the board, a figure loomed over him.

"The first hand..." The unknown boy said, taking out his chewed gum. "is here, isn't it?" He stuck his gum on the goban.

Tsutsui looked up and recognized the boy, furious. "Ahhh! What are you doing, Kaga!"

Kaga just smirked, flicking his cigarette butt on the ground. "You should just quit this shit. Go's boring."

* * *

><p><span><strong>AEN:*****tsume-go problems** are problems that involve you to get your cluster of stones(either black or white) to be either 'alive'(meaning that they cannot be captured; ex: by creating two eyes) or enabling you to capture the opponent's cluster of stones. Basically, the life or death of a territory sums it up pretty well.

*An '**eye**' is the empty point surrounded by a single color of stone. Ex: It takes 4 black stones to surround one white stone and once black completely surrounds the stone, the stone is taken off the board, and the space that is left is called an eye.

Wow, I feel like I've spit out these chapters like crazy. I usually take a long time to complete a chapter of my other fanfic but I guess I wasn't feeling it as much as I do with this fanfic. I really like Hikaru no Go, and go so I'm really excited to write this(and excited for Akari's improvement!)

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	4. Kaga vs Hikaru

**Akari no Go**

Chapter 4-"_Kaga vs. Hikaru_ "

"Touya Akira? Hah, he's nothing! I've beaten him before!" Kaga exclaimed.

Akari and Hikaru shared a confused and surprised glance.

Then, Tsutsui spoke. "That's Kaga. He used to attend the same Go class as Touya Akira but he's now...in the shougi club." He said the last part quietly. "Not a lot of people know Touya Akira personally since he doesn't take part in amateur Go tournaments."

"...Touya lost? Even though he's at a pro's level?" Hikaru mumbled. Behind him, Sai was getting excited.

"He solved a difficult Go tsumego easily." Sai thought. He waved his kimono sleeves around in anticipation. "Hikaru, if we play him, we can learn his level! Let's play!"

"He lost because I'm strong. Idiot." Kaga drawled. Hikaru sputtered, shocked at being called an idiot.

"I'll slice this boy in half for putting gum on the goban! Come on, Hikaru~. Let's play!" Said whined, pestering Hikaru.

"SHUT UP!" He accidentally shouted outloud, causing everyone around him to look at him, puzzled. He quickly put a hand over his mouth.

Akari nervously smiled at him, already used to his frequent but random outbursts.

Kaga turned to Tsutsui. "Hey, what's going on with the Go club you're forming?"

"Forming?" Hikaru and Akari looked at Tsutsui.

"You were all pumped up when you found out they would let you have a club if you got three members and entered the team tournament." Kaga went on. He leaned over the goban, smirking at Tsutsui. "Since it's this situation, I'll enter. You know my ability, Tsutsui. I'm 1000 times stronger than you."

Tsutsui frowned at him, annoyed by his cockiness. "I don't want the help of a guy who puts a chewed piece gum on a goban."

Kaga stood up, and scoffed. "Hah! Exactly _who_ was it that was begging me the other day to enter the tournament?"

The kind middle-schooler glared at him. "Take your book and leave!" Tsutsui shoved a book towards Kaga. He took it, scanning the cover.

"Touya Meijin's Go Book?" He read. Suddenly, the red-haired boy started to tear out the pages of the book and threw the book on the ground, stomping on it.

"I. TOLD. YOU. I HATE GO AND...TOUYA AKIRA!" He bellowed.

Everyone stared at him, astonished by his actions.

"Why..." Akari's voice trailed off as she looked at the torn apart book with wide eyes. Sai cried comically; devastated to see the book in tatters.

Hikaru then grew determined and turned to meet Kaga straight in the eyes. "Tell me why you hate Touya Akira!"

"Are you trying to order me around?" He snorted. "Don't tell me what to do, kid." Kaga then took a go stone from the container. "Hey, watch this carefully." He began to shuffle the stones between both of his hands at top speed; making it tough for a normal eye to keep up with it. Both of his hands stopped and he held them in front of him. "If you can tell me which hand has the go stone, I'll tell you anything." Kaga's expression turned scary. "But...if you get it wrong, I'll put my cigarette out on your hand!"

Tsutsui stood up, walking between the two of them. "Quit it, Kaga! Just leave!"

Akari looked back and forth between them, a little scared for Hikaru. _What if he gets it wrong? Huh, wait..._She gasped.

"Hikaru, don't do it! My sister played this trick on me before!" Akari warned. "The stone isn't in either one of his hands! He's probably hiding it in his sleeve!"

Hikaru blinked. "Eh?"

"If he is using a method like that...let's settle this with Go, Hikaru!" Sai said, whipping his fan open.

Kaga clicked his tongue and rolled the go stone out of his sleeve. "Way to ruin my fun, girl." He sighed. "If you hadn't spoken, they would have fallen for this old trick!" He cackled evilly. Hikaru was both embarrassed and angry; he was ready to punch the teenager.

"You beat Touya?! I bet you probably cheated like you just did now! Or Touya wasn't trying!" He accused, fuming. Tsutsui quickly grabbed a hold of him, restraining him from lashing out at Kaga. Akari stood back, worried and unsure of what to do. "I know! You ran away from Go and went to Shougi! Like a coward!"

Something in Kaga snapped. Hikaru's words had hit him right where it hurt the most. He glared at the younger boy and swatted Tsutsui away from him.

"Let him go." He said, moving over to sit down in front of the goban. He picked up the bowl with stones, set it down beside him, and leaned on to the table; his demeanor now serious. "If you're going to say that much then I'll show you my skill!" Kaga declared. "Let's play. If I lose, I'll apologize and whatever but if you lose, you're taking a dip in the freezing pool."

Hikaru, aggravated, instantly agreed. "Deal!" He sat down with a huff; his teeth clenched.

Akari was nervous for him. _This guy seems really tough...but Hikaru beat Touya-san before. He'll be alright...right?_

The two boys kept bickering as they played their respective stones; conjuring a very comical scene. During his move, Kaga started to reminisce about his childhood, specifically when his father forced him to play go.

_I really wanted to play Shougi...but the old man forced me to take a freaking go class! _He thought. His father would berate him for always losing to the child genius, Touya Akira. _I got fed up with his f*cking expectations. And when I declared my rivalry to Touya, he had the NERVE to say, 'Should I lose?' As if it were that easy! In the end, I actually ended up winning. That kid didn't even care about winning or losing. Heck, of course, he's probably bored to death sitting on his throne! _

Kaga snapped out of his thoughts and saw Hikaru play his next move. He started to feel a slight unease. _Hey...this kid is not too bad at Go.  
><em>After he played a few more moves, he realized that he was seriously troubled. _Hey, hey, this is no joke. We're practically even now! _

Sai was giddy with happiness. He smiled at Kaga's plays. It was clear that he thought the boy's hands were amusing.

Blinking her eyes, Akari moved her attention away from the board. Clearly, she was never going to understand what was going on. It was a miracle that she was able to solve a few tsumego problems. _I still have lots to work on. _Akari sighed. She realized what she just thought and frowned. Since when was she taking Go seriously? _I only started because Hikaru seemed to have an interest...I'm not serious becoming serious about this, am I?_

From the corner of her eye, Akari saw two familiar classmates. She swerved around and called out to them.

"Hey, Mimura and Sakamoto! Didn't know you guys were here." The two boys greeted her in return.

"Hey whatcha doing, Akari?" One of them replied.

"I'm watching Hikaru play go!"

Hikaru looked up at her, startled. When he glanced past her, he saw his classmates. Grimacing at the sight of them, he quickly turned back to the board and placed down his stone. _Geez, why did they have to show up now? They were making fun of me for playing Go in class...if they see me now..._

"Dude, Shindou's playing Go!" He turned to his friend and snorted.

"I would love to see that but I gotta catch my brother's play or else he's gonna kill me!"

"See ya!" Akari rolled her eyes. She turned back to Hikaru's game.

"Eh? Hikaru, that's the wrong spot!" Sai cried. The boy looked more closely at where he put his stone and panicked.

"Wait, wait! Let me take that move back!" He pleaded.

Kaga smirked evilly. "No way. Your fingers have already left the stone." He put his stone down, threatening Hikaru's cluster of stones.

Sai started to comically pound his fists on Hikaru, calling him, "baka" repeatedly. Akari stood there dumbfounded.

"Hikaru, you made a mistake?" She said. He looked at her annoyed.

"It's because you called out to them, idiot!" Akari scowled.

"You don't have to call me idiot! I was just saying hi, what's wrong with that?" She pouted.

Tsutsui frowned. "Stop fighting, Shindou-kun, Fujisaki-san!"

"We're still in the middle of a match." Kaga flipped his fan out and smirked at Hikaru. The boy glared back in response.

"Calm down, Hikaru. We can still make a comeback." Sai said. Hikaru looked up at him questioningly. "Just trust me. Be sure to place the stone where I tell you to."

He sat back down and followed Sai's commands. Soon enough, Kaga and Tsutsui's faces were turning pale with shock as they saw that he was rapidly catching up from his huge mistake.

_Who the heck is this guy?! _Kaga bit his lip as he continued to defend his territory.

Akari looked up to see their stunned facial expressions. She cocked her head in confusion. Then she turned back to see the board. White turned away from the raging battle in the corner to defend another cluster of stones. Akari blinked. _Huh…I can't really tell but…did Hikaru just secure that area? _

After a few more minutes, Akari decided that she just couldn't follow along with what was happening and decided to go get a few snacks to eat. When she returned to the go stand, they had just finished the game.

"Finally. Who won?" She asked, however, the answer was obvious when she saw Hikaru's slumped form over the goban.

"Ice cold pool…" He wailed, disdainfully. Akari gasped and turned to Kaga and Tsutsui.

"Wait a minute, you guys aren't-"Kaga cut her off by taking Tsutsui's uniform jacket and making Hikaru put it on.

"Heh, a loose fit." He commented. "Tsutsui, we've got our team."

"Eh?" Tsutsui was in a dishelved state from having his jacket forcefully taken off.

"I'm first chair, this brat is second, and you're third." Kaga pointed at each one.

"What?! Why am I third chair?!" Tsutsui exclaimed in protest.

"Fine, then you'll be second chair and he'll be third." He declared, nonchalantly.

"Wait, that's not the point! He's only in primary school, Kaga! What are we going to do if the tournament heads find out-"

"Tournament?! Are you serious?" Hikaru was in disbelief. He had just started to play Go, although he had the advantage of having Sai with him.

Kaga went up to Hikaru; the shorter boy shrinking back due to his height. He grabbed him by the collar like a yankee. "Oi, you were the one who lost so listen to what I say. It's better than an ice-cold pool, riiight?" Hikaru gulped. The elder boy turned to Tsutsui.

"Tsutsui, you don't have anyone else to sit in for third, do you?" He pointed out. "Be happy; at least you can have your club now."

Kaga and Tsutsui's voices faded into the background as Akari confronted Hikaru.

"Hikaru, you're participating in a tournament?" She asked.

He sighed. "Tch, this is really bad…"

"Are you going to be okay? I mean, can you even go into this tournament? You're not even Haze student."

"Well,_ that_ guy is forcing me to so I can't help it. It's not like anyone I know will be there to recognize me." Hikaru scratched his head, frowning. "Man…how did I get into this…?"

Akari couldn't help but giggle. She playfully punched him in the arm. "Good luck, Hikaru."

"Ah, right, Shindou-kun, the tournament is next Sunday at 10 A.M.!" Tsutsui said. "It's at Kaiou Jr. High school."

"Kaiou Jr High…" Akari mumbled and wondered where she heard the name before. "Oh! That school with the really good go club!"

"Yeah. They'll be our toughest opponents this year, but I know we can beat them." Kaga smirked. "Only the brat and I have to win."

"What about me? Are you doubting that I can't win?" Tsutsui felt hurt.

Kaga snorted in response. "Not with you carrying around that stupid book to every single match."

"H-hey! I feel more at ease with it in my hand. Besides, it's not like it's against the rules or anything." The boy adjusted his glasses.

"Can I come too? I can make bentos for you guys." Akari asked.

"Eh? Wait-"Hikaru tried to butt in but only to be cut off by the enthusiastic Kaga.

"Bentos, huh? Not bad, girl." He said, pleased with the mention of food. "Are you good at cooking?"

"It's not _girl_ but Fujisaki Akari!" She corrected with a smile. "But yes, I'm quite good if I might say so myself."

"She's not lying…" Hikaru muttered, acknowledging her skill.

"'Kay, Fujisaki! Include some onigiri!"

"Kaga! You can't demand something like that." Tsutsui turned to Akari. "Sorry about that. Thank you for helping us out, Fujisaki-san."

She shook her head. She really didn't mind because she was only accompanying Hikaru to the Go tournament. Might as well make herself useful there by providing lunches. Strangely enough, a small part of her was also drawn to the Go aspect of it. Akari couldn't describe it well but something stirred inside of her when she saw the children playing at the Go Institute the other day. It was quite fascinating to her and she wanted to see a similar scene again. _Will I someday develop a passion like them? _

* * *

><p>"Akari, we're going over to your Grandma's house this Sunday!" Her mother called from downstairs. The teenage girl was now munching on Pocky and reading manga in her bedroom. She sat up, looking at the calendar hanging on her wall.<p>

"No, mom, I have something to do that day!" She called back. Her mother's reply was slightly muffled but Akari could tell that she was confused.

"We haven't visited your Grandma in long time! She gives you money every New Year's and this is how you treat her?" Akari sighed and rolled her eyes. Her mother was going off on one of her rants again. "You're always going out these days; can't you cancel your plans with your friends on Sunday?"

"But it's not as simple as that," She went downstairs to properly talk her. "My friend is participating in Go tournament that day and I want to go there to support them. That's why I bought a lot of groceries; I was planning on making bentos for their team."

"Go tournament?" Her mother was getting used to hearing that term around in the house. "Speaking of which, you've been going to those Go lessons lately…it's strange that you're showing a sudden interest in it." Something popped into her head. "Oh! I've heard from Mitsuko that Hikaru-kun started to play Go recently. Is he the reason?" Her mother gave her a knowing look.

Akari groaned, but inwardly admitted it. "Sure, mom. I just want to go cheer him on." She said, honestly. "Besides, I'm his friend…it wouldn't hurt to have some knowledge about his interest." For some reason, saying it out loud pained her. _Just _'_his friend'…_

"You know, I wouldn't mind if you ended up marrying him. He's not a bad kid." She winked. Her daughter sputtered with surprise.

"M-mom! I'm only 12!"

"Ohoho, honey, time passes by real fast." Akari turned red with embarrassment and grumbled at her mother.

"Geez, mom."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Sorry, I really wanted to make this chapter longer but I think I stalled enough so I'm putting this out. Please bear with all the canon events of the series that I put in here; for those who have watched/read HnG, this is probably repetitive and boring but I'm still in the 'developing story' stage so I'm not really sure exactly where I'm going to go with this story. I know, I'm a terrible at this and it's only my second fanfic. xD

As always, thank you for the reviews, favorites, follows, etc! Feel free to post your opinions in a review or PM.


	5. The Go Tournament

**A/N: Guys. GUYS. I totally screwed up by saying Kishimoto was the first board and at this point in the series he's not. . I changed it to make him an insei(even though he probably wasn't an insei but still) and I hope you all okay with it. So sorry. **

* * *

><p><strong>Akari no Go <strong>

Chapter 5: _"The Go Tournament"_

On Thursday afternoon, Akari didn't have a Go class so she decided to stop by the bookstore to see if they carried any new manga releases. _Maybe I'll look at some Go books too…_She thought, sheepishly. Recently, she had been fond of looking up tsumegos and even watching pro matches online. She found a great website that kept up with the records of current pro matches, title matches, Go strategies, etc. Scratching her head, Akari felt like she was becoming a little obsessive over this board game. _I never intended to take Go seriously but it's growing on me. Is it because of Hikaru's frequent talks of Go? _Although she hadn't noticed it yet, Akari felt a subconscious need to gain the attention of Hikaru. A feeling inside of her wanted to impress him and she became elated when he mumbled a compliment to her after she showed surprising knowledge for Go. Yet, a good part of her efforts was because of the excitement Go gave her. At first she would struggle a lot at understanding certain tsumegos but once she solved them on her own, she experienced great joy. For her, it was as if a door was opening to a new journey.

_"I finally got it!" Akari had cried out, a huge grin on her face. She turned back to her book and looked for the explanation, nodding with every single comment. She could feel herself slowly getting better and better. Sighing, she laid back on her bed. _Enough with tsumegos, I should probably start playing real games…

_Online would have been an option but Akari was too afraid to face most of the players. She felt that her skill was not good enough and had only been playing against robots. Pushing herself away from her computer, she spun around in her rolley-chair, contemplating. _

_"I guess I could ask Hikaru to play against me…and there's Akota-san from the Go class. He's very nice but kind of creepy. Does he want something from me?" She thought out loud. Shrugging, Akari jumped from her bed and left her room. _

Entering the store, Akari heard the familiar ting of the bell. The store owner, whose name she learned was Takahashi, sat behind the counter and nodded his head towards her. She gave him a cheerful greeting. She then went to the front shelves to check the newest releases.

For a while, she stood there reading a few pages of different manga until she noticed an area near the back of the shop. It was filled with several tables, some already occupied with a few people. In the very back corner of the shop was a door which was labeled, "Private Rooms". Akari wasn't sure if she was allowed to go in but twisted the doorknob anyway. Inside revealed a small hallway with five rooms on either side. She walked inside, peering into some of the rooms, which despite being "private" rooms, had a window on the door. In one of the rooms, she spotted a boy playing Go.

_He's playing Go by himself? _Akari went back to the front of the shop to question the owner.

"Takahashi-san, you have private rooms?" He looked up at the newspaper he was reading.

"Yes, they're in the back right corner. Are you interested in reserving one?" Takahashi replied.

Akari shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I just thought it was interesting. What are they for?"

"Some customers, let's say, might want a quiet place to study. Those rooms are sound-proof so even people that want to practice their musical instruments could even use one of them." She nodded in understanding.

"Ah, okay. Well, I'll look around a bit more." She said, going off to look at some Go books. The section for Board Game Strategy was not abundant but carried a decent amount of Go books. Akari scanned over some titles.

_Secrets to Successfully Playing Go by Liu Xin. _She snorted at the title. _Well, seems promising. _Just as she was about to flip through the book, she heard the sound of a door opening. Akari turned around and looked towards the private rooms. The boy she saw playing Go earlier had come out. The two made eye contact and she broke it first, embarrassed. His eyes trailed down to the book in her hands. _We made eye-contact! Quick, say something so it won't be awkward! Huh? He's coming over this way! _

He was walking towards her, his gaze fixated on a spot above her head. Akari stared up at the boy, whom she noticed was wearing glasses (and was a bit handsome), wondering what he was doing. When he suddenly seemed to reach his hand out to touch her, she closed her eyes, uncomfortable. Akari heard the sound of a book being taken out of the shelf right beside her head and when it was followed by silence, she opened her eyes and saw the boy holding a book out towards her.

"Huh?" She asked.

"This book." He flipped it around so she could see the title. It read, Understanding Go Game Strategy. "I find it better than the one you're holding." Akari looked down at her hands and laughed. She took the book gratefully.

"Thanks." She beamed. "I don't think I was going to buy this. I mean, the title is pretty skeptical."

He snorted. "Tell me about it. A lot of newer Go books being published these days are just recycling information from older books by top professionals like Cho Chikun."

Akari giggled. "Hey, are you good at Go?"

The boy adjusted his glasses. "Good? Miss, you don't just ask a go player if they're good or not. But I'm an insei."

She was taken aback by his attitude. _So he's the stoic character…_"...intei? What's that?"

"Not _intei _but _insei. _It means that I'm training to become a pro."

"Eh? Pro?" Akari thought back to the the conversation between Akira and Hikaru and how the former had taken the topic very seriously. "That's...amazing. But you look so young and you've already decided your future..."

"Not really. There are insei that are a lot younger than me." He nonchalantly replied.

"Say, what school do you go to?" She asked. "There's a Go tournament this weekend. Are you playing in it?"

"Kaiou Junior High." He pushed up his frames. "But something like that doesn't concern me as insei are not allowed to participate in school tournaments."

"Oh really? That's too bad. Are you going to see it?" Akari asked. "My friend's playing for Haze Jr."

"Maybe." The boy looked thoughtful. "Haze Jr? I haven't heard much about them. Supposedly they're not such a good team."

Akari felt a pang in her chest. _Ouch, this guy was honest. _"W-well, you're probably right about the earlier years." Her head dropped. "But this time is different! They have a pretty strong team…I think." She knew Hikaru obviously had some talent in him and Kaga seemed pretty strong but he was a _shogi _player. _Tsutsui-san seems like a good player. But Kaga-san was going to put him at third chair and that was below Hikaru…_Akari sighed. What was she doing judging them? She could barely even play a game!

"Well, anyway, I'm cheering for them." She smiled. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't get to ask you your name."

"I'm Kishimoto Kaoru. You?" He said.

"Fujisaki Akari." Akari said, holding out her hand. Kishimoto shook it.

"Well, I'll be on my way, Fujisaki-san. It was nice meeting you." He started to walk away.

"Bye, Kishimoto-san. See you at the tournament." The older male flicked his wrist up in parting.

Akari turned back to the Go shelves. She looked down at the book he gave her.

"So there are bishies* that play Go too…" Covering her face with her hands, Akari let out a little squeal.

* * *

><p>"Hikaru, what do you mean you're not going to let me play?!" Sai was flustered. He had helped Hikaru with his history homework last night, hoping that the boy would let him play in the tournament.<p>

"I never said anything about that.~" Hikaru innocently looked away.

"Hikaru~" The Heian ghost whined.

"Argh, stop whining! We'll see, okay?!" The boy gave in. "Those guys just needed me to fill in a spot. You don't need to play."

"But Hikaru-" Hikaru caught the sight of someone familiar. _Oh crap! Isn't that the older brother of-? _He quickly turned away and pretended to be preoccupied with watching two students play a game. After he confirmed that the older boy had walked past, Hikaru breathed a sigh of relief.

"Gotta watch out for him..." He muttered while Sai calmed down and the latter begun to sulk.

"Hikaru!" Akari ran up to him carrying a bag. "Wow…Kaiou definitely has a different feel from the rest, don't you think?" He gave her an annoyed look and looked around, panicked.

"Shh! Don't say my name so loud!" Hikaru whispered harshly. "And why are you even here?"

Akari raised her eyebrow in confusion and then lowered her voice. "What's your problem? I can't be here? And are you going undercover or something?"

Hikaru scanned the room and found no familiar face in sight and turned back to the girl. "There's someone I know here! That's why I can't draw attention!" He said in an urgent tone. "You barely understand Go so I don't understand why you would even come…"

Akari huffed. "Okay, the 'not drawing attention' part I can understand but is there anything wrong with coming out to support my friend?"

A pink tone swept across Hikaru's face. "N-no…" He muttered.

She then lifted her bag for him to see. "By the way, I brought food like I promised! I filled the bentos with onigiri, sausages, eggs and the like."

"Mmm…thanks, Akari!" Hikaru started to drift off into his own world, as he imagined himself eating various foods. "Did you include ramen?"

"No problem." She smiled, then sighed. "No ramen. Is that the only food you ever think about?"

Hikaru started to protest when he heard a small noise of go stones scattering. He looked over at the practice game that he was standing by. One boy seemed to have accidentally messed up the board mid-game.

"Man, what are you doing?" The other boy said.

"Sorry, sorry." The boy who scattered the stones apologized.

Hikaru decided to walk with Akari to an area where she could put down the bentos that she brought.

Just as they returned to the tournament room, they spotted Kaga and Tsutsui.

"Fujisaki-san, you decided to show up!" Tsutsui said.

"Yup!" Akari smiled. She then muttered, "Didn't I say I would be here at the school festival…why does no one listen…"

"Hm?" Tsutsui said. "Anyway, the first round is about to start. They're going to announce where each school sits and who they're playing against."

"What about me? Can I just linger and watch games?" Akari asked.

"Sure. Just be sure to not disturb the matches."

She nodded and gave Hikaru a look. "I know that far too well…" Hikaru wanted to argue that it was Sai's fault but kept his mouth shut and just rolled his eyes.

"Attention everyone, we will now begin the first round." The man started to list off where the various schools sat. "…Haze vs. Kawahagi. That is all." The Haze trio went to their seats while Akari stood back and observed.

Hikaru glanced over at the strange clock by the goban and out of curiousity, pressed the button.

"H-hey! What are you doing?! We haven't started yet!" His opponent said. Tsutsui quickly reached over and reset Hikaru's clock.

"Shindou-kun, if you touch that button, the match clock will start moving." He said. Hikaru, looked at the clock, startled.

"A match clock?" He asked.

"Each player gets 45 minutes. After you play a stone, you press this button here, which triggers the opponent's time to start moving. You got it?" Tsutsui explained. Hikaru nodded, embarrassed at making a scene.

Kaga looked at them and sweat-dropped. "Hey, hey, weren't we going to stay low and not make a big fuss?"

Akari giggled and Hikaru shot her a glare. His opponent studied him and smirked. By the looks of him, Hikaru was a newbie, which meant that he was going to have an easy time winning. He flared his nostrils at the thought of being the 'upperclassman' and having an advantage.

After more dialogue, the group of boys were reminded to start the game. They did nigiri and Kaga and Hikaru ended up with white, while Tsutsui started off with black.

_Wahhh…the opponents are probably underestimating them. _Akari thought, witnessing Hikaru's opponent reminding him to hit his clock after his move. _Hikaru's new at this, Kaga-san's from the Shougi club and Tsutsui-san's using a book! We must look like a joke now. _She buried her face in her hands, internally groaning. Then she looked back up at their matches. In Akari's mind, she silently wished them good luck.

"Huh? Speak louder." Kaga said. She looked over at his match, surprised. Kawahagi's first chair had a look of shock written all over his face.

"I…I've lost…" He said. The two remaining chairs beside him whipped their head over at him in surprise. Their teacher patted the captain on his shoulder and said some comforting words to him. What was more surprising was Kaga's extravagant actions at his win; haughtily announcing his win in 'ten minutes' and whipping his Shougi 'King' fan out.

Akari beamed in admiration. "Wow, so cool, Kaga-san!" She said, half-jokingly. _But in just 10 minutes...? That's really amazing! His match with Hikaru made me almost fall asleep! _He gave her a smirk.

"That's right. Bow to me." Akari gave a small laugh, cringing.

Both of them turned to Hikaru's match. Akari still wasn't at the level of fully understanding the battle that was going on the board but she could tell the shape of the stones on the board didn't look too pretty. _Hikaru's not doing too good, is he...?__  
><em>

"WHAT THE HELL?! YOU SUCK!" Kaga abruptly burst out. "This play is horrible!" Akari jumped a little and clutched her heart.

"Kaga-san…matches are still going on…" She whispered to him, looking around the room.

He leaned over Hikaru's board and frowned. "So was that comeback just pure luck?"

Akari shook her head. _Hikaru is confusing. He claims to be a beginner but then Kaga and Tsutsui think he has some sort of talent…_

Hikaru's opponent sighed. "Are we going to continue playing? The outcome is already clear so there is no point in continuing."

Hikaru looked disappointed and resigned, clearing his stones off the board. Akari's head hurted when she tried to think about Hikaru and Go so she decided to stop trying to figure him out and focus on Tsutsui's match.

_If Tsutsui-san doesn't win then they won't be able to go on to the next round…and that will suck. _She summoned up all the will and drive that she had and transferred it to him by weirdly waving her arms above his head.

"What are you doing to him?" Kaga said, a little creeped out at her actions.

"Transferring my willpower so that Tsutsui-san will win." Akari answered.

"The hell?"

"You wouldn't understand, Kaga-san."

"Okaaaay, chibi." Akari glared at him.

"W-what?! I'm still healthily growing!" She whispered angrily. He had a good laugh at that.

"Nah, you're a chibi."

"Kaga-sa-"

"I won!" Tsutsui announced.

"I lost to a guy who uses Go books…" His opponent was slumped over in agony. Tsutsui frowned, offended.

"Hey! I-it's relaxing to have it in my hand…" He lamely retorted.

Kaga snorted. "Tsutsui that could have been taken two ways…" The glasses boy blushed and pushed up his specs, sputtering.

Akari giggled. "Now, now, we won the first round, isn't that good?"

"Yeah but you," Kaga hit Hikaru on the head with his fan, "got your ass beat because of that terrible play." Hikaru pouted at him but was still excited nonetheless at their team win. He was oblivious to Akari's loving smile towards him. _It's these moments where he's not being a brat that he becomes so cute. _

She went over to him and bumped his shoulder with her own. "What's up with that play? I know you can do better." She teased.

"Shut up, it's not like you could do better." Hikaru smirked.

"What about that match against Touya-san?" Hikaru suddenly looked panicked and quickly covered her mouth. Akari was alarmed and tried to pry his hand off her mouth.

He leaned in closer to her face and whispered, "don't say that! Especially not in front of them!" Hikaru gestured to Kaga and Tsutsui, who were reporting their score. He let go of Akari.

"…why can't I say that you played-" He gave her a look. "Okay, okay, sorry, but seriously, why can't I say it? Do you have to hide it?"

Hikaru groaned and scratched his head, looking very unsure. "Yeah I do…or else…things will get complicated." Akari tried to read the expression on his face to get something out of him but when she saw that he was truly bothered and uncomfortable, she backed off.

Shrugging, she said"…nevermind. I understand."

* * *

><p>The second round or the semi-finals of the tournament began and the Haze Jr. team struggled a bit more with their opponents, Sawara Jr. Kaga, as expected, won his match with ease, shutting down all of his opponent's attacks. When the teacher of Sawara came and tried to find a way for his student to win, Kaga rebutted all of them, which resulted him in still winning. The confident Shougi club captain rose from his board and went to see Tsutsui and more importantly, Hikaru.<p>

_Is he going to give that shitty performance like in the first round or that time when he made that unbelievable comeback against me? _He thought.

"This guy over here's a joke." Hikaru's opponent whispered to his teammate, although Hikaru and the like could hear.

Akari frowned. _Wow, he really said it! Rude!  
><em>

"What's going on, Hikaru?" She said.

Kaga examined the board. "Well…those are some interesting hands…but overall this play is sloppy and unskilled." Sai burst into laughter in agreement. "Are you even playing seriously?"

"I'm just playing around." Hikaru replied, a grin plastered on his face. Akari gaped and smacked her forehand. Kaga and Sai had more vocal reactions.

Hikaru started to explain himself and his vision. "I like imagine that the goban is space. Because well, you know, the nine _hoshis_*. When I place stones on the board, it's kind of like...I'm creating planets. Not just me, but the opponent too. We're building the universe! Almost like…like God. And I am going to become God. On this goban."

Something clicked in Akari's mind as she processed his words. She had never thought of that way before. _A Go board is space, huh…? That doesn't seem like something Hikaru would think of. But the more I think about it, the more he's right. A player can place the stone wherever they want; they are in charge. _She looked down at his board. _No matter how I look at it, I can't tell his pattern for placing down stones. Even with the limited amount of knowledge I have of Go, looking at tsumegos has helped me recognize a few common patterns. _Akari was analyzing his board so hard, it was hurting her brain. She rubbed her temples thinking, _How do children even play this game?! _

Sai and Kaga also looked at Hikaru in a same essence. They were both trying to decipher the skills of the boy in front of them.

_Become God…the Hand of God. _Sai stared at him in wonder and clenched his fist. _I can't comprehend your talents, Hikaru…I guess I will have to stick around to find out. _

Next to them, Tsutsui had lost his game. Kaga then leaned over to Hikaru to give him some motivation.

"Listen up, we were keeping it a secret from you but…unless we win the tournament, Haze Jr. isn't allowed to have a Go club." He confessed.

Hikaru looked at Kaga, startled. "Huh?! I thought I only had to take part in this!"

"Nope. Also, the guys in the Shougi club are angry that I'm spending time with the Go club so they said, 'we'll kick that bastard Tsutsui's ass if they don't win'." Akari and Hikaru paled.

"That's terrible! Tsutsui's nice…I wouldn't want him to get beat up." She said.

"Come on! If you don't want his ass to get handed to him then play seriously!" Kaga urged. "And hurry too, or else you'll run out of time."

Hikaru turned back to the board and dipped his head after assessing his situation.

"Sai…play…" He whispered.

Sai chose to be a diva and replied, "You were the one who told me not to play." That statement evoked the beginning of tears in Hikaru's eyes which caused Sai to panic.

"N-no, Hikaru! I didn't mean that! I'm sorry!" Then his eyes softened as he sympathized with the boy. "You're frustrated with yourself, aren't you? Angry that you can't win with your own strength. Wipe away your tears, Hikaru." He did as he was told. "Don't worry, if we combine both of our strengths, we will be able to win! Place the stone _exactly _where I tell you to, okay?" Hikaru looked up with new determination and nodded.

Akari saw the look in his eyes change and chuckled. _It's strange…even though he's losing now, why do I have this confidence that he'll make a comeback? Is it that look in his eyes? Well, whatever, I gotta pee. _She rushed off to the bathroom.

On her way back from doing lady deeds, Akari saw Tsutsui crying out of joy. She automatically burst into a Cheshire grin. _That means Hikaru-_

"Hikaru won, didn't he?!" She exclaimed.

Kaga turned to her. "Yeah. He's definitely something else." He seemed a little awed. "Tsutsui, throw your book away."

Tsutsui's happiness was short-lived. "Eh?"

"I said throw it away. You don't need it anyway. It's just a bother." Kaga demanded. Of course, Tsutsui lost the argument but was too softhearted and couldn't throw his book away so he gave it to Akari to hold.

The last round was about to begin.

* * *

><p><strong>Endnote: *bishies: short for bishounen=good-looking guy<strong>

***nine points, or nine _hoshi=stars_**

So, are things progressing faster? xD Err, I don't think so but I did try my best to cram the tournament into this chapter...and obviously that failed since I didn't even get to the final round vs. Kaiou.

Sorry that my updates are kind of slow...I don't know if I said it before but I'm kind of bad with updating xD

Any questions or comments?


	6. Chance Encounter

**A/N: I made some changes to the last chapter(regarding Kishimoto) so be sure to re-read that so you won't get lost here!(This note is for those who read the Ch 5 when I first posted it.)**

* * *

><p><strong>Akari no Go<strong>

Chapter 6: _"Chance Encounter"_

**(**Flashback**: Before the final round of the tournament)**

Before Haze Jr. and Kaiou Jr. went head-to-head in the finals, everyone first took an one hour lunch break. Akari brought out the bentos she prepared and everyone ate silently in the cafeteria.

"So, you guys ready to beat Kaiou?" Akari asked to fill the silence.

Kaga snorted. "I'd like to say that but it's not going to be easy."

"Right. They're one of the best clubs." Tsutsui said. "By the way, Fujisaki-san, you're a really great cook! The food taste delicious."

"Thanks, Tsutsui-senpai!" She smiled. He blushed at her sudden change of honorific.

"Senpai? Does that mean you're going to call me 'senpai' too?" Kaga smirked knowingly.

"No, because you're not in the Go Club, Kaga-san." He felt an imaginary rock hit him in the head. "I've decided that I want to join the Go Club when I enter Haze Jr. so I have to address Tsutsui-senpai with respect." Tsutsui's face got even redder but he was elated with the fact the Go Club was getting more members.

"Tch, you-!" Kaga was about to protest. Tsutsui shot him a look. "Erm, anyway, I'm an upperclassman, okay? You should treat me with respect. Including you, brat." He ruffled Hikaru's hair.

"Hey!" The dual-colored haired boy shouted in protest. He and Akari shared a look and then looked at their 'senpai'.

"Ehhh...but we don't really want to..." They both mumbled under their breath.

"Huh? What was that? I dare you to say that louder." Kaga said in a threatening tone. Akari and Hikaru paled and shook their head, calling him 'senpai'. The red-headed 'senpai' threw his head back and laughed maniacally while fanning himself.

Noticing the drinks were about to run out, Akari decided to go on an errand run for refills. She was walking to the vending machine in the lobby, when she saw a familiar blue-haired boy opening a can of black coffee. Akari was wondering where she had seen him before when it dawned on her.

"Ah!" She shouted, pointing to him. The boy turned to look at her with a scornful gaze. Akari covered her mouth in embarrassment. "You're the one I met in the bookstore the other day. You know, we talked about Go books?"

Recognition was surfacing in his eyes. He pushed up his glasses. "Hm? Ah, yes. The talkative young girl. I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

"Fujisaki Akari." She held out her hand. "You are uhh...Kishimoto?"

"Correct." He said. "It seems that Haze Jr. you talked about is facing Kaiou in the finals."

"Yes! They're doing really well, aren't they?" Akari boasted.

"Well, I haven't seen them play yet so I can't say that. This year's opponents could be really bad." Kishimoto said, bluntly. Akari pouted but then giggled.

"Oh, come on! You're so harsh." She joked. "Oh yeah, you said something about being a 'intei' or whatever? How's that going?"

"'Insei', Fujisaki-san. It's called being an 'insei'." He sighed. "I don't have a match until a little while so I thought I would drop by and see how this is going. To check if there are any diamonds in the rough."

"Diamonds in the rough?" Akari became contemplative. _Does he mean in Haze? Kishimoto-san is an insei; preparing to become a pro, if I'm not wrong. Why is he looking for potential in a school tournament? _"I'm not so sure about that but maybe. You're an insei so you're really good at go, right? Are you looking out for new rivals or something?" She laughed, jokingly.

"Hmm." Was all Kishimoto said. He started walking. Akari followed him and walked in step with him.

"So, what's being an insei like? Is it tough?" She asked, curious.

"Of course it is." All of sudden, his demeanor changed. Kishimoto clenched his fist. "You struggle to maintain your position against some of the best Go players in your age group. There are insei in there that are close to the maximum age so they become especially tense and emit an overwhelming aura. And all of this quadruples near the pro exam."

Akari walked with Kishimoto in silence. She was reminded that of course, to become a pro at anything, one has to struggle and put forth effort to get results. _Stupid me, that was a dumb question. _She berated herself.

"U-uhm, Kishimoto-san, I gotta get back to my friends." Akari said. "And good luck with the insei stuff! You know, Churchill once said, _'If you're going through hell, keep going'_.*"

Kishimoto quirked a small smirk at the girl's efforts to cheer him up. "Thanks but no thanks, Fujisaki-san. I don't need luck. I can go a little longer on my own."

Akari smiled, and they parted with goodbyes. _Hm? Wait, what did he mean 'a little longer'? _A more serious concern flooded her mind as she reached the cafeteria.

"AHH! I forgot the drinks!"

* * *

><p>Haze Jr. High was currently battling it out with Kaiou Jr. High. Akari, clutching Tsutsui's book, stood behind Hikaru's chair, brows furrowed as she tried to understand the situation on his board. Kishimoto was standing next to her so she decided to drag him over to a corner and inquire him about it.<p>

"Your first chair is losing right now and I suspect he will resign soon. The second chair is not doing too well either but the third chair..." Kishimoto looked surprised. "...his moves. They're good. He's currently in the lead right now."

"Eh? Hikaru is in the lead?" Akari went looking back and forth between Kishimoto and Hikaru's board in disbelief. "Wow, no way..."

"Who is that person? His joseki* is a little strange..." Kishimoto murmured. "But he's taking control of the board."

"Huh? What? A-are you complimenting Hikaru?" She asked, even more bewildered. He glanced at her suspiciously. Akari put her hands up in defense. "Uhm, no, I didn't mean anything by that in particular; it's just that you seem like the type of person that doesn't sing praises left and right."

"You're right. I don't sing praises. Most of them are a load of crap." He smirked in disgust. "But I'm glad I didn't waste my time by stopping here. So there are still good players in school tournaments.." Kishimoto turned around and started to leave. "Bye, Fujisaki-san, I have to go back to get ready for my match soon."

"Bye, Kishimoto-san. Good luck!" She whispered after him. He lifted his hand up in farewell, just like the last time they parted.

Akari went back to the ongoing games just in time to hear Kaga resign. She frowned. _Ahh...just like Kishimoto-san said. That's too bad. _

"Good game, Kaga-senpai." She patted him on the shoulder. He didn't seem disappointed, and just shrugged it off.

"Tch. Kaiou is as good as the rumors say they are." He mumbled.

"Do you think Tsutsui-senpai has a chance?" She asked.

"Ha, no way-" Kaga looked towards Hikaru's game and stood there, shocked. Akari raised an eyebrow at him and saw a certain person watching Hikaru's board.

"T-Touya Akira..." She squeaked. Akari shared brief eye-contact with mentioned boy to which, he waved and smiled awkwardly. She then looked at Kaga, who mimicked her same expression. _What is he doing here? _

Despite both of them having many questions, they let it slide and checked up on Hikaru's situation.

A few moments later, a close match between Tsutsui and his opponent ending with the former catching up in yose*.

"I've lost..." The opponent reluctantly said. Tsutsui practically burst out of his seat in joy. _Look at that! I beat Kaiou! _He turned to see all the spectators around Hikaru's game. He had won his game too.

All of the Haze team, including Akari, stood there in awe, realizing what his win meant.

Meanwhile, Yun was comforting his opponent that burst into tears at his loss. He looked at Hikaru and thought the boy had great potential. _It's too bad that he's not at Kaiou, where he can flourish his skills. _He thought.

The announcer came by and declare Haze's victory. "Haze Jr. High has 2 wins and 1 loss, therefore, wins the tournament."

Akari broke out into a huge grin and started to jump up and down excitedly. Tsutsui's glasses were slipping down the bridge of his nose and didn't bother to adjust them due to shock of their win.

Hikaru and Kaga both smiled, although Kaga's was more of a smirk.

Suddenly, a voice behind them says, "Isn't that Hikaru? Wait, aren't you still in 6th grade*?" Hikaru swiveled around to see the boy he recognized as his friend's older brother pointing at him.

The announcer narrowed his eyes at them. "What's going on here?"

"Crap..." Kaga mumbled. Tsutsui just left his face in an everlasting, gaping expression, although it turned to horror as soon as Hikaru was busted.

"Oh no..." Akari groaned.

Tsutsui snapped out of it and quickly tried to explain why they had a 6th grader on the team but to no avail.

"Because Haze Jr High has violated the rules, they are disqualified. The championship goes to Kaiou Jr. High." The announcer said.

"Disqualified...?" Tsutsui looked disappointed.

"What's going to happen to the Go Club then?" Akari asked, looking at Hikaru. He shrugged and shook his head in response.

Walking out of the tournament room, the group noticed Akira waiting for them. His eyes was fixated on Hikaru.

"That was a beautiful game, Shindou." He said.

"Eh? Touya?!" Hikaru exclaimed, surprised to see the boy there.

Kaga rubbed his chin and agreed. "Yeah..."

Akari scratched her head. _Well, I don't really know if it was 'beautiful' or not..eheh..._She thought sheepishly.

"I'm so jealous of your opponent. Why couldn't I have been the one playing you?" Akira said. Akari stared at the two of the them, wondering exactly what their relationship was. _  
><em>

Kaga gave Hikaru a pat on the shoulder. "Well, I'm going to head back to the Shougi club now." He then leaned in and whispered into his ear, "oh, and all the stuff I told you about having to win the tournament to keep the club...it was all a lie."

"Eh?!" Hikaru was startled. Akari overheard this and nervously laughed. _It seems like something he would do...how manipulative. _

The upperclassman then pulled her along with him.

"What are you doing, Kaga-senpai?" Akari asked, surprised.

"Can't you see those two have to talk? I'm dragging you out so you don't have to endure being a third wheel." He explained.

"Wow, senpai, you're being awfully considerate of my feelings." She said. "Thanks."

"Your sarcasm is showing."

"Why would you ever say that?" Akari started to innocently whistle and averted eye-contact. Kaga pinched and stretched her cheeks.

"Hey, respect your senpai more!"

"O-ouch!"

* * *

><p>Walking out of Kaiou, the quartet were not all that upset at the revoking of their championship.<p>

"It doesn't matter! We beat Kaiou!" Tsutsui was still excited and jumpy.

Akari joined in with his happiness. "That's right! And when Hikaru joins the team this year, we'll officially claim the trophy!"

"Yeah, yeah, good luck with that. I'm not helping you guys again." Kaga said. But he had a hidden smile underneath his nonchalant expression.

"That's right...how are we going to win without Kaga-senpai?"

Kaga nodded, smug. "Yes, that's right, how are you going to win without me? Just for the record, even if you guys beg me to, I'm not going to help you out."

"Says the one who lost their game against Kaiou..." Hikaru mumbled. Kaga shot him an annoyed look.

"Hey, if it wasn't for me, we wouldn't have gotten past the first round with your lousy plays."

"You-" Tsutsui had a frown on his face.

"Stop it, you guys! This is a joyous occasion. We. Beat. Kaiou." A wide grin spread across his as he became pensive.

They all sweat-dropped at the spectacle-wearing boy.

"Do you guys wanna go eat? I'm starving." Kaga asked. "Oh, your bento was not bad, chibi." He ruffled her hair. Akari looked up at him with a pout. Her hair was already frizzled and he messed it up even more.

"I'll accept it as a compliment."

"Is that anyway to treat your senpai?"

"...meh." Akari gave up.

"I vote ramen!" Hikaru piped up.

"I rather have sushi, to be honest." Kaga said.

"It doesn't matter to me..." Tsutsui drifted off.

"I agree with Kaga-senpai. Hikaru, you eat ramen way too much." Akari said. Hikaru gave an angry grump and followed the group to the nearest sushi restaurant.

* * *

><p>After getting home from a long day, Akari plopped down on her bed and stared at her bedroom ceiling. She released a sigh that she didn't even know she was holding.<p>

_Today was fun. I didn't expect it to be because, well, you know, _Go. _Typically, no one regards that as fun. But...seeing all those students playing...it was similar to the time Hikaru and I visited a children's tournament at that Go place. I feel like working harder now. But there's no need to, right? _Akari gave a low chuckle. _I'm not aiming to be a pro or anything but...I...I just want to understand what's going on! I'm not even at the level of comprehending games, so I can't even say I want to get better at playing. I want to understand Hikaru; I want to understand why he's playing this suddenly. What is it about Go that he's so attracted to? _

Akari rolled onto her side and saw the Go books that she bought on her desk. Beside them, lay her school textbooks. She knew she had to study for the upcoming exams before the year was over but that could wait, couldn't it? Reaching over, Akari flipped open her newly bought book, recommended by Kishimoto, and started to whisper the pages out loud.

After she came across something she couldn't quite comprehend in her head, Akari would go to her computer and open an application for a digital goban. She was more of a feeling-type of person so she wanted to touch the actual stones and place them on the board, rather than digitally.

_I'll have to ask if mom has a goban anywhere. _

_~end of chapter_

* * *

><p><strong>AEN:** *As in Winston Churchill. But that's already a famous quote so I suspect many of you know that one.

*Joseki: a style of play. I have no clue if I already included this definition but I'll put it here again.

*Yose: the endgame or comprising of moves that stabilize the territory.

*6th grade is apart of elementary/primary school in Japan, FYI.


	7. Haze Jr Go Club

**A/n: whoops! Apparently Akari's friend's name is Tsuda Kumiko, not Kumoko, which is what I wrote in previous chapters. Sorry! **

**Also I might change how some characters call other characters from canon because, well, it's a fanfic. xD **

**This chapter introduces an OC, Hayakawa Testsuo. He's that smiley-type of character that likes to mess with people. Oh, and he's friends with the stoic Kishimoto. Yup. It came to me on a whim, and it seemed like he would be a fun addition. **

**I hope you all are having a great day. **

**Happy Reading! **

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><p><strong>Akari no Go<strong>

Chapter 7: _"Haze Jr. Go Club"_

Spring finally came around when Akari and Hikaru entered Haze Jr. High. Akari was a little anxious about the transition to junior high but found settling in easier with her friends around. Hikaru was more relaxed and went to school like he usually did. The feeling in the air changed a little; not only because there were older students, but also because their same grade-level classmates seemed to become a little foreign to them. Couples starting forming, girls started wearing make-up, and some friendships in primary school did not carry over. During this time, both Hikaru and Akari's minds became filled with Go, consciously or not.

They were helping Tsutsui with recruiting members for the Go club by putting up posters around the school. Akari was holding the paper up while Hikaru pinned it on the bulletin board.

"Maybe we should hand out flyers as well?" She asked.

"Well, I don't think anyone would take one." Hikaru said.

"You could be right on that..." Akari suddenly had an idea. "I'm gonna go recruit members! You keep on putting posters up, 'kay?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Wait...oi! Why am I left to put up the posters?" Hikaru grumbled. Sai patted him on the shoulder.

"This is for the club's sake." Sai said.

"Lately, it seems that I've been seeing Akari constantly." Hikaru sighed. "I don't think that's a good thing. Why did she take up Go too?"

"Now, now, don't be like that, Hikaru. You should be happy that you inspired one of your peers to play Go." Sai scolded him.

"I've grown up with her! She's practically my second mother, nagging so much..." The boy complained.

Sai hid a mischievous smirk under his fan. "I wonder."

Hikaru gave him a questioning gaze.

* * *

><p>"Kumiko-chan!"<p>

Kumiko turned her head from the window to see her friend in pigtails rush over to her.

"How about joining the Go Club, Kumiko-chan?" Akari asked.

"Eh, what's this about all of sudden?" The short-haired girl replied. "But...I don't know how to play Go."

"Tsutsui-san and I'll teach you! If Hikaru can play, then you definitely can play too!" Akari realized she was being too pushy and backed off a bit. "Ah, but only if you want to. I don't want to force you to join."

Kumiko looked thoughtful for a moment and looked at her friend who was looking at the ground. She smiled. "All I have to do is join, right? You're lacking in members, aren't you?"

"Yeah, pretty much. But..." She looked a bit shy. "I-if we get enough female players, we could participate in the tournament too..."

Her friend widened her eyes. "Ehh?! Akari-chan, there's no way I'm going to get good enough to go to a tournament."

Akari put her hands on Kumiko's shoulders and giggled. "I'm talking about maybe next year. That will give us some time to improve. Don't worry about it!" She winked. "So what is your answer?"

Kumiko scratched her chin uncertainly. "Uhh, I guess I'll try going to the club meeting first.

* * *

><p>"There's something called <em>atari<em> in Go and it is when a stone or group of stones is threatened to be captured or when it only has one liberty left." Tsutsui placed a black stone and three white stones surrounding it on the board. "After white puts its stone here," he put another white stone on the board, "the black stone is completely surrounded and thus is captured. Whoever captures the stone takes it off the board and drops it in the cap of the go bowl. Do you understand so far?" Kumiko nodded her head.

Tsutsui removed the fourth white stone from the board. "Now, back to atari. What would you do to avoid capture in this case if you were playing as black?"

She looked contemplative at the board. Then her line of sight drew to the go bowls. _Why would they have so many stones? _

"Ah!" Kumiko picked up a black stone from the go bowl and placed it beside the black stone, allowing it to have more liberties and escape capture. "I play here, don't I?"

"Nice, Kumiko-san." Tsutsui smiled in approval.

"Anybody could've solved that." Hikaru commented, prompting a smack to his head by Akari. "OW! What the heck, Akari?!"

"Shut up, not everyone is a _genius _like you." She turned to Kumiko. "You definitely have potential, Kumiko-chan!" Akari encouraged.

Kumiko blushed. "T-that's...I was only doing what I thought made sense."

"And you were right!" Akari said. She noticed something behind Hikaru and gasped. Hikaru didn't seem to register her reaction until Sai was shaking him and pointing.

"Hikaru! Look, that boy is here!" Sai said.

"Huh, who are you-" Hikaru turned around and the words instantly caught in his throat. "Touya!"

Akira was standing by the open window, looking slightly bemused. "Shindou, why is someone of your level in a Go club?"

"None of your business." He mumbled. "What are you doing here, Touya?"

"Will you ever come back to the Go salon we played at before?" Akira asked. "No matter who I'm playing there, I always think of your moves and how you would respond...I am working hard to catch up to you. And I will wait for you to face me again." His eyes were filled with a fiery resolve. "I came here to tell you that."

_Well_, _after being beat...it's no surprise he wants a rematch. _Akari thought. Kumiko glanced at her questioningly. She waved her hand, signaling that she would explain later.

Tsutsui, on the other hand, was surprised. _To get that much attention from Touya Akira...Shindou is really something._

"I can't play you." Hikaru deadpanned. That statement both hurt and confused Akira. _He can't play me?! Why? _He thought in agony._  
><em>

"W-wait, what do you mean by that?!" He exclaimed.

"I'm going to do my best here at the Go Club. We're going to enter the next tournament." Hikaru looked at Tsutsui and smiled. "Right, Tsutsui-san?"

Tsutsui was flabbergasted. "Uh...yeah..."

"You won't play me, hey-" Hikaru closed the window and drew the curtains close.

"Hikaru..." Akari was concerned. It seemed like something deeper was going on between the two boys. _It's just a game, right? Why couldn't he have agreed to play another one? Touya-san looked so..._

Kumiko pulled on her sleeve. "Hey, Akari," she whispered, "who was that boy? That uniform..."

"Ah, he's from Kaiou. He's Touya Akira; the son of a really famous Go player." Akari explained, still looking at Hikaru.

"Really? And someone like that just challenged Shindou-kun to a match?" The short-haired girl raised her eyebrows in amazement.

"Haha, well, Hikaru is kind of an odd case."

"Definitely." Tsutsui agreed.

* * *

><p>When Akari went into her homeroom class, a few students asked about her club activities.<p>

"We saw you putting up posters around the school-the Go Club, was it?" One female student asked.

"I thought Hikaru was into that thing! Now you too, Akari?" Another one said.

Akari nervously laughed. "Go's actually pretty interesting. You should try it out sometime. Wanna come to our club after school? We meet every afternoon but you don't have to come to every single meeting."

The students exchanged glances. "Nah, it seems like an old person's game. Too long, too boring. Good luck recruiting people for your club."

Akari watched them walk away and sit in their respective seats. She didn't expect a different reaction from her peers but it hurt to actually hear it. Sighing, she walked to her seat.

_I guess I can understand. Go is a game that requires patience and concentration. It doesn't go well with active kids going through puberty. _She looked out her window. _I wished they would just give it a chance. Without Hikaru, I would have never thought about playing Go. _

The homeroom teacher walked in and class was about to begin. Akari sat up straight. _Wait, the reason I'm even playing Go is because of Hikaru. If he loses interest in it, will I...automatically give up? _

"Rise," the class president said. Akari realized her inner motives and shot up from her seat, irritated_. Whoa, whoa, wait, since when were you this wishy-washy, Fujisaki Akari?_

"Bow." She bowed with the class. _Who cares about that idiot?! Not me! Hmph!  
><em>

"Sit." Akari fell into her seat with a thump. A few of her classmates glanced at her. The pigtailed girl blushed and looked toward the windows like she didn't just have an inner tantrum.

"Akari," a girl beside her whispered, "you seem bothered by something." She had a small smile on her face.

"I-it's nothing. Just..." Akari started. "Boys." Her classmate nodded in understanding.

"Who is it?" She asked. "Ahh...let me guess, Shindou-kun?"

Akari's eyes bulged. "ACK, what, NO!" She shouted. Then she quickly covered her mouth. _Oh, great._ The entire class and the teacher looked over at her. There was a split second of silence before several students broke out into laughter. The homeroom teacher frowned but sighed and smiled. Akari returned her smile with a wary one of her own.

Meanwhile, over at Kaiou Intermediate Academy, a boy with a pageboy haircut could be seen approaching the Go Club.

"Hey, I heard Touya Akira is joining." One student said. Sounds of go stones clacking on the wooden boards, shuffling through the stones, and quiet chatter suffocated the room.

"What? Are you serious?" Another student replied. "That's funny."

"What's an 'almost pro' like him doing in a school club?" One boy snickered.

"Ahhh, he's automatically going to get first chair in the tournament." A complaint.

"What are you saying? There's still president Kishimoto-san."

"Yeah, yeah. And us third years aren't going to sit around and do nothing."

A light brown-haired boy looked over at his dark-haired friend. He had a teasing smile on his face. "You hear that, Kaoru-chan? There's a new Go player in town. What are you gonna do?" A few of the members turned towards him.

Kishimoto adjusted his glasses and picked up his can of black coffee. "I'm envious. He still has the time to spare playing in a school club." With his other hand, he picked up a Go stone. "As expected of someone who is qualified. But all this whining is irritating me." He placed the stone on the board, effortlessly taking advantage of his opponent. "Your move, Hayakawa."

The light brown-haired boy stared at Kishimoto's move, his face unchanged. "Kaoru-chan, you really..."

"What?" He glared at Hayakawa. Suddenly, the boy burst out laughing. Although Kishimoto had know Hayakawa Tetsuo for many years, he still had yet to get used to his quirks.

"I-I thought you would be more down, but you're as sassy as ever!" Hayakawa regained his composure and smirked.

Kishimoto just shifted his glasses, and kept silent.

* * *

><p>Hikaru slammed open the door to the the Go Clubroom, dragging a fuller-figured girl in tow.<p>

"Tsutsui-san, I found a new member!" He exclaimed.

Tsutsui and Akari looked over, surprised. Her eyes drifted to Hikaru's grip on the girl's wrist. She found herself feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Uhm, can you play Go?" Akari asked.

"Ah, yes I can." Kaneko replied.

Hikaru was smiling with glee. He was so excited and focused on the upcoming tournament that he didn't take the chance to make a snark comment towards Akari about not being able to play or something else of the sort.

"Oh...cool. You're...Kaneko Masako, right? I've seen you around." Akari said. "I'm Akari by the way."

"That's right. You can call me Masako if you want. Nice to meet ya, Akari-chan." Kaneko grinned. _Waaa~ she seems so polite; unlike her demeanor, ahaha. _

Akari noticed her attire. "Ah, did Hikaru drag you away from volleyball practice? I'm so sorry, this impulsive idiot..."

"No, it's alright; I agreed that I would play in the tournament." Kaneko said. "Heh, you sound like you're apologizing for your son." Akari nervously laughed. _I'm a mother now, huh?_

Tsutsui smiled warily. "Shindou-kun, there are separate divisions for boys and girls in the tournament. So even if Kaneko-san was to enter, she couldn't play for the boys side."

"Then let's just dress her as a boy." Hikaru suggested. "It's not like anyone would know the diff-"At the same time, both Kaneko and Akari slapped him on the head.

"Just ignore him, we aren't going to do that." Akari followed Kaneko to the door.

"Well, I just said I would only play for the tournament so if you don't need me, I'll be leaving now. I'm busy with the volleyball club." She said.

"Thanks for stopping by anyway, Maseko-chan." Kaneko smiled at her. Then, as she was walking off, Akari stuck her head out the door and called, "Please stop by the Go club when you have time!"

Rejoining with the group, Akari saw the solemn faces of Hikaru and Tsutsui. They were currently playing a game, looking rather defeated.

"Hey, hey, what's with this depressing cloud hanging over you guys? I know we have some trouble finding members but someone is bound to appear in no time!" She tried to cheer them up.

"They have to be a boy, and they have to be strong. Well, the stronger, the better." Hikaru mumbled to himself. He frowned a bit and chuckled warily, shaking his head.

_Hikaru's acting weird again..._Akari sweat-dropped.

"Ah, right, Kumiko won't be coming at all this week. Seems like she's cramming for a piano recital that's coming up this weekend." She said.

"I see, tell her I wish her good luck." Tsutsui said, making his move on the board. Akari absently nodded as she watched the game between them go on. Now, she was more attentive and could recognize the movements throughout the game. She could sometimes even predict what a player's next move would be!

_Tsutsui's moves look solid. It would be hard to try to escape from his walls. Hikaru's moves on the other hand...looks rambuctious and random...but at the same time, they seem to have a meaning. _Akari made a small fist bump in the air; she was proud of herself for making this achievement. She could now analyze junior high level games.

"I know!" Hikaru piped up suddenly. "What if we put a hard Go problem on the poster? To make it more interesting? That way, we can find a strong player easily!"

"They don't have to be strong...just anybody." Tsutsui replied.

"Ahhh...Kaiou has a lot of members, don't they?" Akari sighed and leaned back on top of the counter.

"Yeah, they have literally everything. I'm so jealous of them." Hikaru said.

"Shindou-kun, it's your turn to move. Kaio is Kaio, and we are we." Tsutsui said.

* * *

><p>Akari was walking down the hall when she saw an orange-haired boy stop in front of the bulletin board. <em>Ah, that's our Go poster with that difficult problem! <em>She thought.

The boy took out a pencil and scratched something onto the poster. When he walked away, Akari rushed to the poster to see what he wrote. _It's the right answer! _She looked at the back of the retreating boy. _I'm pretty sure that's...Mitani Yuuki. He's from Kumiko's class, class 3! _

* * *

><p><strong>AEN: I don't really have anything more to say...so sorry for the long wait though! **


	8. The Art of Cheating

**Note: Hope you enjoy this long update! Sorry for not updating for over half a year...^_^ I hope people are still reading this fic...  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Akari no Go by Tennisbunnyrox<strong>

Chapter 8-_"The Art of Cheating"_

"Mitani-kun! Miiiitaniiii-kuuuuuun." Akari called out. She was getting exasperated. No matter how many times she tried to talk the boy into joining the Go Club, he had refused and gave her no room to explain.

Mitani was currently in line in the cafeteria to get some food, followed by the persistent Akari. "Leave me alone, you're getting annoying."

That comment had ticked her off, but she decided to ignore it. "You solved that hard Go problem so you must be a pretty good player, right? The Go Club needs more members for the upcoming Go-"

"Next!" The lunch lady shouted.

"M'am, can I have one miso soup with a red bean bun." Mitani said.

"Coming right up!" The middle-aged woman quickly swiped up the items with unbelievable speed and moved on to the next person. "Next!"

Akari's stomach rumbled right on cue, so she decided to order something. "Oh, uhm, I'll have chicken-and-vegetable rice. Also, could you add a melon bun to the side, m'am?" She said.

When Akari got her food, she noticed that Mitani was no where to be found. It seemed that as soon as he got his food, he sped right out of the cafeteria. All right when she was distracted by the food.

Akari slumped down at one of the picnic tables in the school courtyard, gobbling away at her chicken-and-vegetable rice. _Why is that guy so against joining the Go Club? Was I too persistent about it? He did say I was annoying...but there was no need to be so blunt about it!  
><em>

"Akari-chan!" Kumiko, standing under the school walkway, waved at the red-haired girl. Akari lifted her head and waved back.

"You look like you've been defeated." Kumiko sat across from her and started to open up her bento.

"Yeah...I just found a prospect member for the Go Club...but he seems really adamant about not joining." Akari took a huge bite of her melon bun. "Anff pshhh eh sobbvled ah harf gob projum."

Kumiko sweat-dropped. "...I have no idea what you just said, Akari-chan."

Akari swallowed. "And plus he solved a hard Go problem! You know, on that Go poster we put up? So I figure he must be a pretty good player."

"Ehh...who is he?"

"Mitani Yuuki from Class 3."

"Oh." Kumiko took a bite of her spring roll. "Actually I've heard a rumor about him." Akari raised her eyebrow. "That he goes to shady places after school."

"Shady? As in..."

"I'm not so sure, but some people have seen middle-aged men smoking and hanging around the same place as him. I don't think associating with him is a good idea, Akari-chan."

"That could be anywhere though." Akari suddenly remembered the time when she went to a Go salon with Hikaru. "Maybe...that guy could possibly be going to a Go salon."

"A Go salon? Like a hair salon?" Kumiko asked.

"Something like that." Akari smiled. "Go is pretty much an old man's game, so a lot of old men go to salons to play Go and chat. I don't see any reason why he would go to a Go salon though, so it probably isn't where he goes." Akari finished the last piece of her melon bun. "Anyway, don't worry, Kumiko-chan. Although Mitani-kun is a bit rude, I don't think he's a bad person. I'll try to talk to him some more."

Kumiko looked at her friend with uncertainty. "O-okay. Good luck, Akari-chan."

Akari gathered her trash and stood up. "Thanks."

* * *

><p>"Heeeey!"<p>

Hikaru and Akari were playing a game with each other when the door to the classroom slammed open and Tsutsui popped in. He was carrying the poster with the Go problem in his hand.

"Guys, look! Someone solved our Go problem!" He exclaimed.

"We already know. Akari tried persuading the guy who solved it." Hikaru said, pointing to her.

"That guy is Mitani Yuuki-kun, in our year, class 3." Akari explained. "He's really stubborn about not joining but we really need a third player for the Go tournament, so I think we should convince him."

"Oh...I see." Tsutsui said, his enthusiasm going slightly down due to everyone's nonchalance. "If he doesn't want to join then I guess we can't help it..."

"No, we'll definitely persuade him!" Hikaru declared.

"That's right! How often do you find a strong Go player in a junior high school? We can't let him get away!" A fire lit in Akari's eyes, as she stood with one foot on her seat and her hands on her hips. Evil laughter creeped out of her mouth.

_Scary..._Hikaru and Sai made eye contact and smiled nervously at each other.

Tsutsui went over to get out his Go books. "Well...it's good that you're enthusiastic but if he really doesn't want to join, don't force him to. We can always find another person willing to join even if they're not the best player." He pulled a third chair around the table that Akari and Hikaru went sitting at and sighed. "At this point, anybody will do..."

"How can you say that?!" Hikaru exclaimed. "Didn't you say you wanted to aim for the championship again this year? How are we going to do that with a sucky third player?"

Akari sweat-dropped. _Yeah...especially if Hikaru's going to be_ _playing in one of the seats._ "Anyway, I know we can't afford to be selfish but...this tournament's going to be your last for junior high, Tsutsui-san. You'd want the best players that you can get going to tournament, right?" She smiled.

Tsutsui looked contemplative over her words. _It is my last tournament of junior high...so it's really important. _"You're right but I don't like the idea of forcing people to do things against their will. Now, let's work on some drills, shall we?" He peered at their board, and widened his eyes in surprise. Then he looked over at the Go bowls. "Oh, Fujisaki-san, you're white aren't you? You're not doing too bad in this game!"

She couldn't suppress the grin that was growing across her face. "Ohoho, well I have been practicing more at home and going to Go classes lately!"

"Hmm...and Shindou-kun..." Tsutsui regarded his play as black. "...I don't understand this. Are you not trying at all?"

"What are you talking about!? I am trying!" Hikaru shouted in protest. Akari gave him a teasing grin. "Huh, what's with the look, Akari? Just because you're doing a little better than me..." He became increasingly irritated.

"Really. How did you even manage to win against Touya-kun?" She taunted him. Hikaru made a move to grab her. Akari dodged his attack and ran off giggling,

"Hey! Wait a minute, Akari! You jerk!" Hikaru chased after her.

Sai stayed behind and chuckled behind his fan. "That was me. That was alll me."

Tsutsui had an amused expression on his face, as he watched the two chase each other out of the room. "They're still kids, those two."

"Says the young one himself." Sai smiled. He turned to gaze at the board with soft eyes. "Although their skills are raw and unripe, there is much potential to be sought. I can feel their energy oozing out through this game." He wiggled. "Ah, I'm getting excited! Hikaru, I want to play Gooooo!" Sai exclaimed, childishly, and ran after Hikaru and Akari.

* * *

><p>Every Tuesday and Saturday, Akari attended a Go class for beginning players, taught by Shirakawa Michio-sensei, professional Go player. A lot of the people attending this class were far older than her, but her politeness and friendly demeanor made her quite the popular student. She was known to be very hardworking.<p>

Akari had once tried to get Hikaru to go along with her, but after he messed up Akota's wig and got kicked out, she apologized and told Shirakawa that she would never bring him there again (even if Akota did kind of deserve it).

A man with a blue-collared shirt and plump belly laughed heartily. "You don't see youngsters these days taking interest in an old man's game like this."

A middle-aged lady with a floral pattern shirt piped up. "That's right! I thought of signing up my kids to take this class with me but they refused!" She sighed. "Well, they are busy with their other activities."

"Say, Akari-chan, what made you so interested in Go?" A woman wearing glasses asked.

Akari was currently cleaning up the Go stones from after a _shidougo*_ game with Shirakawa. She turned her head to regard her question. _Ahh, what am I supposed to say to that? That I started Go because of Hikaru? Because of a boy? How shallow would I seem? _"W-well...uh...I saw my friend playing Go and I guess that got me started." She laughed nervously.

"Was that the friend you brought that caused a ruckus last time?" Shirakawa asked.

Akari blushed. "Uhm...yes, actually." She admitted.

He smiled. "That day, I was quite surprised that he knew of that opening. The move at 16-5, beneath the _hoshi_. Normally, beginners don't know of that move."

She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. Pride for Hikaru started to grow inside of her. "You see, his situation...is a little strange. At times, others think he's playing really well but then other times he plays like a beginner. I don't even know what to think of his skill."

"It sounds like your friend must have a lot of potential as a Go player." Shirakawa said.

Akari smiled. "...I wonder about that!" They both laughed.

"Akari-chan, let's play a game with each other!" Akota called out to her. He now wore a hat after the wig incident. Every so often, there would be quiet snickers from the other people, as they remembered that rowdy episode. Every time she looked at his hat, she couldn't help but be reminded.

"What are saying, Akota-san? Akari-chan just finished a _shidougo_ game with Shirakawa-sensei!" The lady with the floral shirt said.

One of the men cackled. "It's so obvious how he favors Akari-chan!" The rest of the them joined in laughing.

Akari's face heated up in embarrassment. _I really wish he wouldn't try to get closer to me...but eh, a game wouldn't hurt. He's better than me anyway. _"Sure, Akota-san. I'll play a game with you." She went over to sit across from him. "But, please play me seriously or else I won't be able to learn from it."

Someone whistled. "You hear that, Akota? You better not go easy on her!" A few people gave hearty chuckles.

Akota had a surprised expression on his face but then gave a smile that was more creepy than pleasant. "If that's what you want, Akari-chan.~"

Thirty minutes into the game, Akari was stuck and ready to give up. She unconsciously let out a breath she was holding in. "I give up. I don't where to move next."

"Ah, you see, if you attacked over here," Akota pointed to his lower left corner of the board, "I would have had a little trouble." Akari tapped her finger against her chin as she stared at the area he pointed to.

She perked up. "I see! Instead of doing that, I was being led on by your moves and didn't even think about the rest of the board!"

Akota smiled. "That's right."

"Hey, but what do you think I could have done to prevent you from taking control of my cluster of stones over here?" She pointed to the middle-right of the board; her black stones in a disarray and white, with a solid defense. "Do you think it was because of my faulty defense?"

"That one, Akari-chan, you could've moved here..." he adjusted the stones, "and that would lead to this result. My white stones would have formed a _kakeme** _and then you would be able to stop me from taking control." Akari nodded, realization flooding through her.

She lifted her head and her eyes met with Akota's. "Akota-san, you're really good!"

A small blush crept across the man's face. "Ohoho...well, this is no trouble for Akota-sama! Ohoho!~"

Shirakawa glanced over at them and smiled. The woman with glasses came up to him. "Akota-san's really changed since Akari-chan came here."

"That's right. And maybe it is for the better. Akota-san was...known for causing some trouble, and that was also some fault on my part." Shirakawa said, apologetic.

"That's not true! If we had to have our Go instructor step in to solve our problems, that would be really pitiful woudn't it?" She laughed, and turned to observe Akari and Akota having an engrossing discussion about their game. "But, Akari-chan is really admirable. Her energy and motivation to learn is even rubbing off of me!"

Shirakawa chuckled. "That is true. I can feel it myselt too." He paused, observing the changes in Akari's facial expressions; from confusion to surprise and to understanding. "Although she is still very much a beginner, she has a good intuition and feel for the game. I can see her becoming a very good player in the future."

* * *

><p>"Good afternoon, Takahashi-san!" Akari called out to the man at the counter. Today he seemed to be reading a classic, but she had no idea what the story was about.<p>

"Ah good to see you, Fujisaki-san!" He replied with a big smile. "How are ya doing today? How's school?"

"I'm fine. Junior high has been a little weird at first, but I'm getting used to it! Other than that, it's same old, same old. How are you?" She replied.

Takahashi laughed. "I'm doing great as always! Don't forget to stop by often! I'm giving discounts all throughout next week in honor of Golden Week***!"

She smiled. "Awesome! I'll be sure to stop by!"

Akari looked around the bookshop. Then she ducked her head down in embarrassment as she realized who she was searching for. _There's no way that Kishimoto-san would be here! That would be too much of a coincidence to bump into him again. _Still, she was hoping to meet him again and get advice from him. He seemed like a good player, especially if he were one of those _insei_.

It was one of those lazy days; there were no Go classes for the rest of the week because of the upcoming holidays, and Akari completed her homework quickly. She found herself sitting at her desk staring at the white walls of her room. _I had no idea all I've been doing since the start of junior high is Go and studying. I really need to get out of the house. _So she did, and wound up at the bookshop that she frequently visited. _Naturally. Because being in a bookstore is fresh air and good for the health. _Akari sighed and picked up a random manga, flipping through the pages. Her mind was no where focused on the story in front of her but wandered about. _Seriously, when have I started to become so into Go anyway? _A page in the manga caught her attention. The main protagonist of the story bore a resemblance to Hikaru. _Ugh, why does this character look so similar to _him_! _She sighed. Akari still had yet to come to terms with her feelings for Hikaru._ I really don't want to think about him now. __What the heck is this story even about? Is the hero an idiot like Hikaru? _Akari turned the book over to the cover. The story was called Haruki no Yakyuu, or Haruki's Baseball, and it followed a young boy named Haruki, who was moving to a new town and drifted through life. Akari snorted. _Definitely sounds like Hikaru. _That was until one day, he had found an old, dusty baseball bat in with his luggage. The moment he touched the bat, a strange sensation went through his body. Suddenly, in front of him appeared a ghost that haunted the bat, a strong but unknown baseball player, Asi! After that, Haruki lost his consciousness but when he woke up, he found that the ghost baseball player was now haunting him! Due to Asi being a ghost, he is able to possess Haruki and control his body like his own. Together, they both work to achieve Asi's lost dream of obtaining the _Swing of God_, the ultimate unbreakable swing, as well as bringing out Haruki's potential as a baseball player. Akari slowly closed the manga volume and put it back on the shelf. _That sounds too similar to an certain incident I know of...whatever. _

_Click!_ She turned toward the sounds of go stones making contact with a board. They were coming from the room in the back of bookstore. Akari turned the knob on the door and walked in. When she saw that she froze. Inside was a dark-haired boy with glasses, talking with another boy his age that had slightly curly, light-brown hair. _It's Kishimoto-san! _Akari contemplated going inside and greeting him but wondered if it was rude. _Well...they don't seem to be too engaged in a game, so maybe I won't be interrupting anything? _The two boys looked up at her.

"Uh, hi, Kishimoto-san. I saw you in here and I wanted to say hi." Akari said timidly. "I hope I'm not disturbing you two."

Recognition lit on Kishimoto's face. He adjusted his glasses. "Ah hello, Fujisaki-san. You're fine." He smiled. "It's too bad what happened at the tournament."

"Yeah...but I guess it's our fault because we didn't have enough players from Haze Jr." She gave a small laugh.

Hayakawa looked back and forth from Akari to Kishimoto. "Hey, hey, introduce me! Who's this girl? From Haze Jr?"

Kishimoto looked slightly annoyed. "This is Hayakawa Tetsuo, a fellow classmate from Kaiou, Fujisaki-san." He said, reluctantly.

"AH? _Fellow classmate_? How cold, Kaoru-chan! We've known each other since we were tiny, cute little-" Hayakawa teased.

"Who would say that you're their childhood friend? You meddle in things too much. Anyway, this is Fujisaki Akari-san, from Haze Jr. I recently met her here."

"Ehhh...so you've been meeting girls behind my back, Kaoru-chan...why haven't I heard of her from you, eh?" His playful friend asked.

"Don't joke around. I'm not like you, Tetsuo. And stop calling me by that nickname. It's embarrassing!" Kishimoto took a sip of his black coffee.

Akari smiled at their bickering. _A clear cut character foil, alright. They're kind of odd, but I can see they're good friends. _

"Nice to meet ya, Akari-chan!" Hayakawa held out his hand.

Akari took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you too, Hayakawa-san." She said. _He seems friendly so far. _

"Hey, why are you calling her by her first name?" Kishimoto pushed his glasses up. "Don't be rude."

Hayakawa laughed. "Then, you can call me, _Tetsu-kun_, if you like!" His dark-haired friend comically whacked him over the head with a rolled up book.

"Idiot!" He yelled. "Sorry, Fujisaki-san, don't call him that. In fact, just ignore this idiot right here."

"It's fine, I don't mind. But calling him that is a bit..." She nervously laughed. _Kind of creepy, to be honest. I don't even call Hikaru, 'Hika-kun' or 'Hikaru-cchi' or anything. _She shivered at the thought of calling her childhood friend by those nicknames.

"Ahh, I was just joking! Call me whatever you like!" Hayakawa reassured her. "See that? She doesn't mind, Kaoru-chan."

"Whatever." Kishimoto sighed. "Fujisaki-san, you can join us if you like. We're just counting territory right now."

"Ah okay, " She took a chair and sat next to their table. "Counting territory? I've seen it a few times before but I never really understood it. How do you do it?"

"No problem! Let Hayakawa-sensei explain, Akari-chan!" Hayakawa winked. "Now, take a seat!" Surprised by his assertiveness, Akari slowly nodded pulled a chair to the board.

Kishimoto leaned over toward her. "Even though he's like this, he knows what he's talking about. At least in Go."

"I'll take that as a compliment and let you off this time, Kaoru-chan." He pouted. "Anyway! The first step in counting is to determine which stones are alive and which are dead. Can you point some out, Akari-chan?" Her eyes wandered around the board.

"Ah, this is dead," She pointed to a cluster of white stones that were dominated by black stones, "and this...and this one is alive, right?" He nodded and she kept on distinguishing the clusters of stones.

"Good! So you've got that down! Next, we just remove the dead stones from the board," Hayakawa and Kishimoto moved the stones, "ah, these are placed with the captured stones. Then, you fill in the territory, using the captured stones of the same color. Now all we have to do is organize the clusters so that it makes counting easier! See here?" He pointed to a group of white stones with an irregular shape. "Count the empty spaces in between."

Akari peered over. "Let's see...1 ,2, 3, 4...5...6, 7, 8...9...10...11, 12. 12 points."

"That's right. Took a while to count right? That's why we do this." Hayakawa started to push the white stones around to form a rectangle. "4 x 3=12. Easier to count!"

"I see!" Akari seemed to contemplate something. "But wouldn't it be easy to accidentally move the other player's pieces while doing that?"

Hayakawa and Kishimoto exchanged glances. "Well, you could say that. During the counting stage, each player is focused on re-arranging and counting their own territory, so they probably wouldn't notice if their stones were moved. But, that's an underhanded trick." Kishimoto explained.

"A big no-no, especially in Go! This game is, fundamentally, based on trust, you know. We expect each other to be honest, and that is how we are able to have good matches." Hayakawa grinned.

"How could someone cheat in such a noble game?" Akari thought outloud.

"Although it's such a shame, there are quite a few guys like that out there." Kishimoto took a sip of his can of black coffee. "Some might cheat in order to gain more money, such as in Go gambling. But in professional Go, which is heavily monitored, a dishonest act would not slip under their radar."

"Ehh, Go gambling is a thing?" She asked.

"Sure is, I've seen it a few times at some Go salons. Though if someone was caught cheating in a bet, they'd get their, excuse my bluntness, ass handed to them." Hayakawa noted, leaning back in his chair before remembering to continue on with his mini-lesson. "Oh, and now we just determine the score. In Japan, we use the Territory method of scoring but in some other countries, like China, they use area scoring. The differences between the two are playing_ Dame_ and playing in your own territory. In Territory, playing _Dame_ does not count toward the score, and playing in your own territory lowers your score. In Area Scoring, it's just the opposite; _Dame_ counts and playing in your territory has no affect on your score. _Dame_, by the way, is a neutral or an open point. You can tell where they are because they are surrounded by stones of both colors."

"So once we apply Territory Scoring and also the Komi rule, which is 6.5 moku to white, we can get the final score." Kishimoto finished, and they both continued to make their final calculations. Akari gazed at them both, in awe. _So this is what experienced Go players are like. They give off a totally different aura than Hikaru, and even Tsutsui-san!" _

"I have 56.5 moku. How about you, Kaoru-chan?"

"62.5 moku."

"Dang it!" Hayakawa slumped in his chair. "My third loss today."

Akari giggled. "Well, Kishimoto-san is an _insei_, after all." Kishimoto froze. Hayakawa widened his eyes and then looked over to Kishimoto, who was looking down at the board.

"...actually, Akari-chan," Hayakawa spoke, "Kaoru-chan quit."

Akari went wide-eyed and covered her mouth. "Oh no...I-I'm sorry, I was really insensitive with that-"

"No." Kishimoto looked up at her and gave a small smile. "It's fine, actually." He took a gulp of black coffee. "It seems like I wasn't cut out to be an _insei_, nevertheless a pro."

She frowned. _He must have had a tough time there. _"May I ask why you quit?"

"It's really just that. I couldn't handle being an _insei_. I kept struggling to advance to the higher class and after a while, it became clear that I wasn't going to make it to pro level."

"Oh...I'm sorry." Akari said with sincerity. "That was your dream wasn't it? To become a professional Go player."

"No need to be sorry, Fujisaki-san. That is all in the past." Kishimoto said. _Isn't it pretty recent though...? _Akari thought with a frown. "Yes, becoming a pro, was my dream but now I realize how foolish I was. I was lacking in talent compared to the other insei," he pushed his glasses up with a certain glint in his eyes, "but, well, that doesn't mean _my_ intelligence is inferior. Anyway, my experience as an insei wasn't all a waste. It opened my eyes. If I wanted to pursue something seriously, I would want to the best at it."

Akari nodded slowly. "I-I see...I was afraid you would be more down about it." _I forgot that Kishimoto-san has a bit of an ego...aha..ha..._

"This guy? Feeling down?" Hayakawa seemed to find this hilarious and burst out laughing. "N-no way, right after the day he quit, he was his normal, sassy self. I confirmed it myself!"

"I wish you wouldn't use that word to describe me." Kishimoto sighed. "But don't worry about me, Fujisaki-san. Say, is your school participating in this year's tournament?"

"Ah...yes!" She replied, and silently added, _if we can successfully recruit Mitani-kun. _

"This time, I'll be playing for Kaiou. Although who knows what seat I'll be in." He said.

Akari raised one eyebrow. "Eh? What do you mean? Aren't you first chair since you're the Go Club chief?"

"That's the strange thing, Akari-chan. You see, this bigshot Go genius, Touya Akira, suddenly joined our club the other day." Hayakawa explained. "Who knows what he's thinking? Well, it does make things interesting!"

"Touya-kun?" Akari said, without thinking, and then covered her mouth.

Hayakawa lifted his eyebrow inquiringly. "What, you know hi?"

"He...uh...played a game with my friend. It's a really complicated situation that I don't even understand." Akari said, choosing her words carefully. For some reason, Hikaru was very sensitive about her spreading this subject to other people. "I think...they're rivals."

Kishimoto narrowed his eyes. "Rivals? There's no one around Touya's age that could be considered his rival."

She scratched her chin timidly. "Then I must be mistaken...ahaha..."

Hayakawa looked at Akari curiously but then glanced at his watch and almost jumped out of his chair. "Ack! I'm almost late for my date with Fumi-chan!" He got up and started to head for the door. Then he seemed to pause for a moment and turned back. Bending over to scribble something on a piece of paper he ripped out of his notebook, Hayakawa dropped the paper into Akari's hands. "It was fun talking with you, Akari-chan! Let's chat again sometime! Bye Akari-chan, Kaoru-chan!~" He slammed the door shut behind him.

Akari looked at the piece of paper in her hands and then to the door and then back. _Did he just...give me his number?_

"You can burn it you know. That paper." Kishimoto sat calmly in his chair and continued to drink his black coffee. Then he placed it down and started to clean up the Go stones. "That punk, he didn't even help clean up."

"Er...uh..." She was unable to form words, still surprised at the paper in her hands. She shook her head, and got ahold of herself. "Ah, I'll help you, Kishimoto-san!"

"That would be great. Thank you, Fujisaki-san." The gap of silence between the two was filled with the shifting of the go stones. After all of the stones were collected, Kishimoto cleared his throat.

"Well, then, I should be going as well." He gathered up his belongings and stood up. "It was good to see you again, Fujisaki-san."

Akari looked up at him. "Uhm, Kishimoto-san? Can we exchange phone numbers? I'd like to talk more about Go with you."

Kishimoto smiled. "Sure." He fixed the position of his glasses. "And seriously, you don't have to keep that idiot's number."

Akari laughed. _The more people I keep in contact with, the merrier, right? Plus, Hayakawa-san isn't such a bad guy...  
><em>

That day, she had made friends with two more Go players.

* * *

><p>Classes had ended for the day, so many students had either pooled out from the school or went on to their various after-school clubs. Akari was heading over to the Go Club when he spotted a certain orange-head walking out of the building.<p>

"Ah! Mitani-kun!"

The boy seemed to react calmly to her, and did not try to escape. Mitani turned around to face her and sighed. He adjusted his grip on his schoolbag that he had slung over his shoulder.

"Before you ask me to join the Go Club again, you need to get two things straight. First of all, the answer is no. Second of all, I already played a game against your 'captain' and won. Anything else to say?" He said.

Akari widened her eyes. "Captain? Tsutsui-san? You won against Tsutsui-san?" She repeated in surprise. "Then all the more we should have you on our team!"

Mitani looked at her in disbelief. "Look, I'm-"

Akari cut him off. "I know you cheated. At Go gambling. Hikaru told me." She said, abruptly. He frowned. _That guy...he told everyone, geez. _ "I don't know what went on in your game with Tsutsui-san, or if you cheated there too, but I don't understand why you cheat. Your skills are already pretty good, from what Hikaru tells me and since you solve that advanced Go problem."

Mitani rubbed his head, seemingly frustrated. "You know, there are some things that I want to buy. Like games and stuff. An easy way to get that money is gambling at Go." He justified. "Anyway, it's none of your business. Bye."

He walked away, leaving Akari frowning at his back. _He's really stubborn...I guess we'll have to find someone else to be the third player. Maybe Kaga-san again? _She pictured his smug, condescending face. _"Didn't I tell you I wouldn't help you again? Hahaha guess the Go Club's going to be demolished." _She imagined he would say.

Akari sighed and headed towards the Go Club.

_~end_

* * *

><p>*shidougo: teaching game. Also mentioned in the animemanga. A game where the objective is not to win but rather one stronger player teaching the weaker player. Both players are allowed to take liberties with their moves, such as taking back a move, or one player advising the other on which move they should make.

**kakeme: false eye. It looks like two eyes(_me_), which are unable to taken(thus declared _alive_), but one of the eyes can be removed, eliminating the _life_ from the cluster of stones.

***Golden Week is 4 total holidays within one week in Japan. The holidays are **April 29: Showa Day(Showa no Hi), May 3: Constitution Day(Kenpo kinenbi), May 4: Greenery Day(Midori no Hi), and May 5: Children's Day(Kodomo no Hi). **One of the busiest holidays in Japan.

Do you ever just look back on your old writing pieces and cringe? It's definitely happened to me numerous amounts of times when I'm editing back through the previous chapters of my fanfics.

Hope you have a great day!


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